Thesevere water shortage is forecast to last until early September,resulting in widespread saltwater intrusion in river mouth areas, thecentre said, noting that some southern areas of the region could alsoface extreme drought.
The NCHMF added the rainyseason in the Central Highlands, southern region, and central Binh Thuanprovince will arrive later than previous years due to the impacts ofthe El Nino weather pattern. Rainfall in June is also predicted to belower than the traditional average.
The water volumeof rivers in the central and Central Highlands regions is forecast tobe 30-60 percent less than the traditional average, dipping as low as 95percent less volume in some provinces south of the central region,including Binh Thuan.
The water level of many downstream rivers could reach record lows, the centre warned.
In central Quang Tri province, lingering heat waves have killed morethan 500 hectares of pine forests previously damaged by caterpillars.Another 400 hectares are unlikely to recover due to the severe weatherconditions.-VNA