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Vietnam's south-central region facing severe drought

Xinhua, June 11, 2015 Adjust font size:

Vietnam's south-central region, especially in Ninh Thuan province (some 1,100 km south of capital Hanoi), is facing severe drought, a Vietnamese minister said Thursday.

While addressing an inquiry of Do Van Duong, deputy of the National Assembly (NA), at the ongoing NA meeting in Hanoi, Cao Duc Phat, Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the drought in Ninh Thuan is "the most severe drought I have witnessed during decades".

"There was almost no rain in Ninh Thuan for the past two years. During the 2015 summer-autumn crop, more than 10,000 hectares of land are unable for cultivation due to lack of water," Phat told NA deputies at the meeting.

Phat blamed the severe drought in the area for the effects of El Nino which lead to high temperature and less rainfall.

Regarding the drought situation in the area, Tran Ngoc Phuong, a NA deputy from Hai Phong city expressed his worry if the severe weather condition continues and no measures are taken.

The minister, in response to deputies' opinion, said that in the short term, the government will mobilize troops to carry water for residents in drought areas, and support farmers to switch to cultivation of plants which are suitable for dryland.

In the long term, the country will focus on construction of water reservoirs as well as protection of forests, Phat said.

"Many of the forests in Ninh Thuan were chopped down, which caused water shortage at nearby reservoirs," said the minister, emphasizing that the construction of water reservoirs must go along with forest protection. Endi