The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said that by 7:00 a.m. on November 19, the water level on many rivers from Thua Thien Hue to Khanh Hoa and the Central Highlands region was at a very high level and continued to develop complicatedly.
According to Mr. Hoang Van Dai - Deputy Director of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, currently, floods on the Ba River, Kon River and Krong Ana River are rising rapidly. Some stations recorded particularly notable water levels such as Ba River at Cung Son reaching 35.92m, 1.42m higher than alert level 3; at Phu Lam reaching 3.94m, 0.24m higher than alert level 3. Kon River in Thach Hoa has reached alert level 3. Thu Bon River at Cau Lau exceeds alert level 2 by 0.22m. Tra Khuc River is only 0.04m below alert level 2 and continues to rise. The Krong Ana River in Giang Son exceeds alert level by 0.02m.
Many other rivers from Thua Thien Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Gia Lai to Khanh Hoa are also fluctuating at alert level 1 - alert level 3, of which Dinh River (Khanh Hoa) is above alert level 3.
"In response to these dangerous developments, at 9:00 a.m. this morning, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting issued a level 4 disaster risk warning for the eastern area of Dak Lak province.
This is a particularly serious warning level, issued when the area is facing a dangerous complex including major floods, flash floods and landslides, which can cause great damage to life, property and infrastructure" - Mr. Dai emphasized.
According to Mr. Dai, in the next 12 hours, floods on the Ba River at Phu Lam station will continue to rise and remain above alert level 3 (at the historical flood level in 1993 of 5.21m) and the Kon River will continue to rise and remain above alert level 3; floods on the Krong Ana River will continue to increase; floods on Thu Bon River and Tra Khuc River will remain at alert level 1 - alert level 2.
"In the next 24 hours, the flood situation in major rivers is likely to remain at a very high level, while widespread flooding will occur in the provinces from Thua Thien Hue to Khanh Hoa" - Mr. Dai said.
According to the Deputy Director of the Meteorological Agency, currently, the risk of flash floods on small rivers and streams and landslides on steep slopes in the Central and Central Highlands is at a very high level. Many residential areas, especially low-lying areas, downstream areas of reservoirs and riverside areas, are likely to be deeply flooded in the coming hours.
The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting recommends that people limit travel through deeply flooded areas, culverts, and steep slopes prone to landslides; proactively evacuate from dangerous areas as required by local authorities. The next bulletins will be updated continuously, especially when there are changes in the regulation of upstream reservoirs.
