Vietnam PM Demands Stronger Measures against Drought, Saltwater Intrusion

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has just issued Directive 11/CT-TTg to request relevant units to strengthen the implementation of measures to prevent heat, drought, water shortage, and saltwater intrusion due to the influence of El Nino, state media reported.

The directive aims to respond to prolonged heat, drought, water shortage, and saltwater intrusion in some localities since the beginning of this year, especially in the Mekong Delta, central, and Central Highlands regions.

Accordingly, Prime Minister Chinh asked centrally-run localities to closely monitor developments and forecasts of weather, meteorology, hydrology, water resources, and salinization to update plans to prevent heat, drought, water shortage, and saltwater intrusion, while instructing people to store fresh water and use water economically.

Specialized agencies under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development forecast that the temperature this summer would be higher than the average for many years and the flood season in the North is unlikely to come early. Besides, flow to large reservoirs on the Da River may be 30%-40% short of the average for many years with the risk of continued heat, drought, water shortage, and saltwater intrusion, especially in the central and southern regions. (Mekong ASEAN, Bao Chinh Phu, Lao Dong, Tien Phong)