Severe droughts forecast in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam
The Lower Mekong countries of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam are likely to face severe droughts that hurt cultivation and agricultural production by January 2020.
Hanoi (VNA) – The Lower Mekong countries ofCambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam are likely to face severe droughts thathurt cultivation and agricultural production by January 2020.
Experts from the Mekong River Commission (MRC) issued thewarning on November 19 amid droughts that have made the Mekong River at itslowest level in the past six decades, adding that Thailand and Cambodia aremore heavily hit than Laos and Vietnam.
The drought and flooding management centre in Phnom Penh warnedthat the risk of drought could prolong while local residents could lack waterfor daily use. The situation is forecast to worsen from December to earlyJanuary when the rainfall is at its low.
Founded in 1995, the Mekong River Commission is aninter-governmental organisation that directly works with the governments ofCambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam on common water resources management and thesustainable development of the Mekong River./.
Over recent months, more than 1,000 ha of plants of crops have withered and died due to a serious drought in M’Drak district, the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak.
The Mekong Delta region is in an urgent need for an inter-sectoral and comprehensive solution in water reserving, especially in years with drought, stated Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Le Cong Thanh on August 22.
Although locals in the central city of Da Nang are now having water supply in a rotary fashion, they still face the risk of a relapse of water shortage as the salinity in input water for Cau Do waterwork – one of the major water plants of the city – has increased sharply.
The Thai Cabinet on August 27 approved a 15.8 billion baht budget to resolve drought and flooding issues in 76 provinces, government spokesperson Narumon Pinyosinwat announced.
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Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) 
