According to a quick report from the Department of Management and Construction of Irrigation Works (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment), as of June 24, the storage capacity at irrigation reservoirs nationwide basically reached 49-89% of the designed capacity depending on the region. In which, the Northern region reached 55-89%, the North Central region from 52-65%, the South Central region and the Central Highlands from 49-85%, and the South from 33-61%.
Although the water source at the reservoirs is being maintained relatively stably, specialized agencies still warn of the risk of water shortage in the remaining months of the dry season if the heat waves last.
In the North Central region, it is forecast that about 6,500 - 9,500 hectares of summer-autumn crops may be affected by drought, water shortage and saltwater intrusion. The main affected localities include Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Quang Tri.
Meanwhile, the South Central Coast and Central Highlands regions are forecast to have about 3,196 hectares of production land that need to adjust plans due to the risk of water shortage. Khanh Hoa alone has about 1,300 hectares affected, Quang Ngai 1,000 hectares, Da Nang City 846 hectares and Dak Lak about 50 hectares.
According to the Department of Management and Construction of Irrigation Works, localities need to continue to closely monitor weather developments, water sources and proactively adjust crop schedules and crop structures in high-risk areas to minimize damage to production.
Not only affecting agricultural production, currently, the whole country records 1,186 households lacking domestic water due to the impact of drought, water source depletion and damage to water supply works after natural disasters, concentrated in Son La province.
The situation of domestic water shortage mainly occurs in Long Sap, Chieng Hoa, Long He and Muoi Noi communes. The main causes are drought, water source depletion, decreased flow of gravity water sources, and some water supply works with damaged pipelines or reduced operating capacity. Water shortage is concentrated in highland areas, scattered populations and areas dependent on stream water sources, and small-scale water supply works.
Representatives of the Department of Management and Construction of Irrigation Works said that thanks to the changing season rain appearing in the northern mountainous area next week, water sources in many localities are likely to improve, and the number of households lacking domestic water is expected to gradually decrease. However, in the highland areas of Son La province, the risk of local water shortages still exists due to slow water recovery and limited water supply infrastructure.
