Friday, July 16, 2010

Mekong Delta drought hits hard on Vietnam

2010-07-15

HANOI (Commodity Online) : World’s largest rice exporter, Vietnam’s Mekong Delta which accounts for more than half of its output is hit by drastic climate changes, resulting huge losses of crops.

Drought caused by a hot spell over the past month has hurt rice fields in the region with nearly 100,000 hectares destroyed or partly destroyed.

A total of 25,000 hectares of rice was ruined and yields on another 70,000 hectares will drop sharply, the report said, giving no forecast for output losses.

The country saw a bumper harvest of the highest-yielding winter-spring rice crop, with output of unmilled rice rising 2.6 percent from last year to 19.2 million tones.

Vietnam aims to export 2.9 million tonnes of rice in the July-December period, bringing annual shipments to between 6 million and 6.2 million tonnes, a Vietnam Food Association report said

Experts say Vietnam is one of the countries most threatened by climate change, whose effects are seen in worsening drought, floods, typhoons, exaggerated tides, and rising sea levels.

The country is planning for a one-metre rise in sea levels by 2100, which would flood about 31,000 square kilometres of land unless systems such as dykes are strengthened.

The hot weather hit northern and central provinces from early June. On June 16 state forecasters said the temperature in Hanoi reached an average 34.6, the highest since 1961, leading to a surge in demand for electricity and widespread power cuts.

While delta farmers cope with drought, they are also challenged by sea water intrusion, which experts also link to climate change. Over the past 50 years the sea level has already risen by 20 centimeters along Vietnam's coast.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This is one of the reason they have to speed up the Indochina Federation Plan. In addition there are more mouth to feed every day.
Unfortunately they have to concur not just the resistant from people of Cambodia and Lao but the big power such as China and America who impose their influence over Asia.
Well you can create scientific system and manpower but you can't create or control natural disaster.
What goes round will come around.