According to information from the Department of Irrigation Works Management and Construction, last week in the Central Highlands, there were 80 small lakes that were under water. Accordingly, Kon Tum province has 11 lakes, Dak Lak province has 49 lakes and Dak Nong province has 20 lakes.
Irrigation reservoirs reached 35% of the designed capacity, down 1% compared to last week. Specifically, Kon Tum reached 36%, Gia Lai reached 28%, Dak Lak reached 30%, Dak Nong reached 45%, Lam Dong reached 71%.
The drought and lack of water affecting crops still appear locally in the Central Highlands. In Gia Lai province, there are currently 288.72 hectares of rice outside the irrigation areas of irrigation systems in Dak Doa district, Chu Se district, Kbang district, Pleiku city that are in drought.
This cultivated area has been recommended not to produce in the 2024 - 2025 Winter-Spring crop right from the beginning of the crop because the water source will not ensure water supply for production. Other localities have not recorded the area of damage caused by drought and water shortage.
It is forecasted that in the Central Highlands region from now until the end of the 2024 - 2025 Winter-Spring crop, the area at risk of being affected by drought and water shortage will be about 500 - 1,000 hectares. Specifically, Gia Lai province is 100 - 400 hectares, Dak Lak province is 200 - 300 hectares, Dak Nong province is 200 - 300 hectares, mainly concentrated in areas outside the irrigation works system.
Based on weather forecasts and actual conditions, the Department of Irrigation Management and Construction believes that the drought and water shortage are expected to end in early May 2025.
In addition, the Department also informed about the water source situation in the Southeast region. Accordingly, last week, the average capacity of irrigation reservoirs in the Southeast region reached 58.3% of the designed capacity, 2.4% lower than last week, 12.7% higher than the same average of many years. Specifically, Binh Duong province reached 63%, Binh Phuoc reached 75%, Tay Ninh reached 60%, Dong Nai reached 42%, Ba Ria - Vung Tau reached 39%.
