The drought which has been plaguing Vietnam is said to have cost the country's economy more than $670 million in lost rice and fruit output. Late rain, which has fallen in central Vietnam, is unlikely to provide any relief for the parched country and its neighbors.
According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, some 250,000 hectares of rice production have been lost to the drought, seriously affecting 288,000 households and more than a million people.
Rice isn’t the only crop affected by the loss, as 30,000 hectares of fruit production were also lost and aquaculture losses were 6,800 hectares.
The Mekong River has fallen to record lows, with the Vietnamese government reporting that it is at its lowest level since 1926. With the water level this low, seawater from the South China Sea moves inland, causing soil to become salty.
Many scientists think that a strong El Nino, coupled with the effects of global warming, is contributing to what is the worst drought Southeast Asia has seen in nearly a century. A dam-building spree on the Mekong by many of Vietnam’s neighboring countries is also contributing by reducing water flows.
With the El Nino now dying, the lack of water is still being felt, said Duong Van Ni, a Can Tho University professor and expert on the Mekong Delta.
“Because of the long drought period, the water level in many areas, especially that of Tonle Sap, has decreased by 50 percent compared to the same period in the previous year,” he told RFA.
Source - http://www.freshplaza.com
