VietNamNet Bridge – The water shortage, drought and salt intrusion in the central region and the Central Highlands provinces this year is forecast to be more severe than last year.

People in the central region experienced severe drought last year. — Photo doisong.vn

The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecast said that water levels of local rivers and lakes will decrease sharply from now until the end of the May, and many will record the lowest level ever.

The water flow in central-northern rivers will fall between 50 per cent and 70 per cent against the average level of previous years and that in central and southern rivers will drop up to 80 per cent.

The dry season in the coastal central provinces will last up to nine months, it said.

The overall level of rainfall will decrease drastically by 20 per cent to 40 per cent on an average. Some areas in the central region and the Central Highlands will experience severe drought in the first half of this year.

In February, the water flow in Ha Noi's pumping stations will probably drop to between 0.4 metres and 0.6 metres and there could be a water shortage in some areas in the next few months. The situation will be worse in the mountainous areas of the north.

Salt intrusion in the southern estuaries will occur sooner and it will be worse than the previous year. In Tien and Hau rivers, the salinity of 4 grammes per litre will possibly intrude up to 60 kilometres inland. The salinity will increase and last until early May.

Water shortages likely with dry spells forecast

The central region and Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) would suffer more severe droughts and water shortages this year compared to 2015, the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting has warned.

Residents in the Central Highlands Province of Dak Lak take advantage of all water sources to fight drought. — VNA/VNS Photo Ngoc Ha

Rivers' levels in the regions are forecast to be 50–80 per cent lower than average during the dry season from now to May, and record-lows are a possibility in many rivers.

Meanwhile, water shortages are likely to occur in some northern localities, particularly in mountainous and midland areas.

The centre said the latest El Nino phenomenon, which started in 2014, had continued through 2015 well into 2016 and would abate in early summer. Due to its impacts, fewer storms and tropical depressions will occur in the East Sea and the average rainfall will be 25 – 50 per cent less than in previous years, especially in the central region, during the first half of 2016.

Temperatures in northern localities during the period will be 0.5 – 1 degrees Celsius warmer than the traditional average, while those recorded in the south will be 1 – 1.5 degrees Celsius higher, he said. The heat wave is expected to come earlier than usual in the northwest, central and southern regions.

VNS