Many hectares of rice may be destroyed due to lack of water

Some 21,200 ha in the central and north-central regions are suffering from the effects of drought, primarily in the provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, and Quang Tri.

A total of 8,200 ha has been narrowed or switched to other crops, while the figure is 25,300 ha in the south-central region.

The hardest-hit localities have been Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, and Binh Thuan.

Average capacity at reservoirs in the north-central region is forecast to stand at 36 percent of designed capacity by late July, the office has said.

In the peak of the 2020 summer-autumn crop, up to 30,000 plants will face water shortages, accounting for 6-7 percent of the total cultivation area.

Reservoirs in the south-central region are projected to provide sufficient water for the upcoming crop. Some locations along the Vu Gia - Thu Bon river basin in Quang Nam province and Da Nang and surrounding areas, however, may also be affected by saline intrusion.

Thailand faces water shortage due to shorter rainy season

The Hydro-Informatics Institute (HII) under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation of Thailand, which analyses water-related data, is warning of a water shortage as it expects this year's rainy season to be shorter than usual.

Director of HII Sutat Veesakul said on July 19 that there will be less rain than last year, which will affect water reserves across the country.

The current rainy season, which arrived later than in previous years, is forecast to end in September, which means there might not be enough precipitation to replenish reservoirs across the country, he noted.

The effect of the shorter monsoon can already be seen, with 25 major dams and reservoirs across Thailand having less than 30 percent of their total water storage capacity.

Sutat said "water stress" is imminent as between November this year and May next year, about 12 billion cu.m of water will be needed to meet demands from farms and households in the area.

He urged competent agencies to do their best to conserve water in the remainder of the rainy season, which will last until the end of August./VNA

Drought in Mekong Delta worsens due to hydropower, water diversion

Since countries in the upper course of the Mekong River have diverted water, problems related to drought, saline intrusion and landslides in Mekong Delta have become worse.