Illustrative image (Source: VNA)HCM City (VNA) - The El Nino phenomenon in 2016 will cause freshwater shortage in Ho Chi Minh City and other southern areas, the National Hydro-Meteorological Service has said.
The phenomenon in the 2015-16 period will be the longest one in the last 60 years, and will have the same intensity as of the 1997-1998 period.
The rainy season will begin later and end earlier than in previous years. Rainfall is predicted to be much lower than average, especially in the central and southern areas and central highlands.
This means that the water levels in irrigation lakes and hydropower reservoirs will be lower than those of the same period in 2014.
HCM City will reportedly be one of the areas that will be most affected by the El Nino phenomenon.
In order to prevent drought and respond to the impacts of El Nino, the city has requested concerned units to implement water-saving solutions and to revise agricultural and cattle-raising methods.
The Saigon Water Corporation (Sawaco) has planned emergency water supply solutions and will collaborate with other hydropower companies to prevent saltwater intrusion, when necessary.
The Dau Tieng Lake management unit said they would discharge water alternately (three days for Tay Ninh, four days for HCM City), instead of continuously for seven days, saving 20 to 30 percent of the discharged water.
The lake is the sole freshwater supplier to thousands of hectares of rice fields in Tay Ninh and HCM City.
The steering committee for flood and storm prevention of HCM City (under the department of agricultural and rural development) has requested farmers to closely follow weather news and to revise cultivation and cattle-raising methods.-VNA
