Drought and Saltwater Intrusion Devastate Crops in Vietnam

Severe drought plagues Vietnam

Severe drought has impacted all provinces in the Mekong Delta, Southern Central and Central highland regions since the end of 2015.

• 39 of Vietnam’s 63 provinces have requested support from central government to cope with the most severe drought in 90 years.
• 10 provinces have declared drought emergencies.

Disasters caused by drought and saltwater intrusion include:

• Paddy Rice damaged: 159,000 ha (393,000 acres)
• An additional 500,000 ha of paddy rice is likely to be damaged by mid 2016
• No. of people lacking water for daily consumption: 976,000
• Provinces in states of emergency: 10
• Total affected provinces: 39 [total of 63 provinces]

Since the end of 2015, water levels in the lower Mekong River have been at their lowest since records began about 100 years ago. It is estimated that levels of water shortage in the rivers of the Mekong Delta range from 30 – 50%.

Salt water intrusion in the Mekong Delta extends 20 – 25km further inland than seasonal averages.

Saltwater intrusion now stretches 90 – 93km inland in the Vam Co River; 45 – 65km in the Tien River and 55 – 60km in the Hau River. Saltwater intrusion began two months earlier than average, causing severe damage to crops and livelihoods.

[Excerpts from an internal report by the UNDRMT for the period Oct 2015 to March 2016.]

Cambodia Flood Disaster Update

Mekong River: Another lifeline turned deadly

Mekong River flash floods have devastated large areas, killing at least 168 people including 73 children and affecting more than 1.8 million others since mid-September.

Floodwaters have also inundated more than 100,000 homes, ruined about 350,000 hectares of rice paddy, destroyed or damaged440 km of the national roads and 3,700 km of gravel roads.

Hundreds of schools and dozens of health centers have also been inundated, said the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM).

More than half of the country’s 24 cities and provinces have been affected by the Mekong River overflowing and flash flooding, said NCDM.

People push their motorcycles through a flooded area near the Royal Palace in central Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photo credit: Reuters/Samrang Pring.

Related Links

• Vietnam Evacuates 250,000 ahead of NARI October 14, 2013
• Floods Cause Major Destruction in Cambodia October 2, 2013
• Widespread Flooding Affects 1.5 Million in Thailand September 25, 2013
• Global Disasters/ Significant Events – September 25, 2013

Other Links

• Floods in Thailand Kill 23, Force Thousands of Evacuations October 2, 2013
• WUTIP Hammers Central Vietnam October 1, 2013
• WUTIP Making Landfall in Central Vietnam September 30, 2013
• Typhoon WUTIP Headed for Vietnam, Laos, Thailand September 29, 2013
• USAGI Disaster Update: 25 Dead; 7,100 Homes Destroyed September 23, 2013

Vietnam Evacuates 250,000 ahead of NARI

Typhoon NARI to impact Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand

Vietnamese government has begun evacuating about 250,000 people from the country’s central coastal areas in the projected path of Typhoon NARI.

The typhoon is making landfall in central Vietnam early Tuesday (UTC) with sustained winds of about 125km/hr.

Typhoon NARI. IR/WV Difference satellite image recorded at 11:32UTC on October 14, 2013. Source: CIMSS/SSEC/WISC. Enhanced by FIRE-EARTH.

The Philippines

NARI killed at least 26 people in Central Luzon, Philippines, over the weekend, with many more reported as missing, affecting tens of thousands of people in the region.

The typhoon left at least 60 towns submerged under floodwater in Aurora, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga and Zambales provinces, destroying or damaging scores of homes and tens of thousands of hectares of crops.

Typhoon NARI will impact Vietnam, China’s Hainan Province, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand in the next few days.

China

Heavy rains which began battering Hainan Province, the southern part of Guangdong Province and the southeastern part of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region early Sunday are expected to intensify,  prompting Hainan province to issue a “red alert,” said a report.

• China starts emergency plans for Typhoon Nari

Cambodia

NARI is forecast to dump moderate-to-heavy rains on more than half of Cambodia’s 24 provinces, said the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology on Monday.

“The country has been hit by Mekong River [flooding] and flash floods in recent weeks. Nhim Vanda, vice-president of the National Committee for Disaster Management, said Monday that in the last four weeks, floods have claimed at least 122 lives and affected some 1.5 million people,” said a report.

Additionally, floodwaters have submerged 250,000 hectares of rice paddies, and destroyed or damaged 110 km of national roads and more than 300 km of gravel roads, the report said.

More details to follow…

Related Links

• The Typhoon Indochina Didn’t Need October 12, 2013

• Typhoon NARI Surging Toward Luzon, Philippines October 10, 2013
• FITOW Dumped 717mm of Rain in 70 hrs October 9, 2013
• FITOW Turns Deadly October 7, 2013
• Typhoon FITOW Forces Hundreds of Thousands of Evacuations October 6, 2013
• Typhoon FITOW Chased by Cyclone DANAS October 5, 2013
• Typhoon FITOW Makes Minor Detour October 4, 2013
• Two Cyclones Moving Toward Japan October 1, 2013
• WUTIP Hammers Central Vietnam October 1, 2013
• More than 2 million people affected by flooding in Thailand September 29, 2013

• Typhoon WUTIP Headed for Vietnam, Laos, Thailand September 29, 2013
• USAGI Disaster Update: 25 Dead; 7,100 Homes Destroyed September 23, 2013
• USAGI Poses a Severe Threat to Hong Kong: The HK Observatory   September 22, 2013
• Cyclone PABUK Chasing Typhoon USAGI September 21, 2013

• Typhoon USAGI Eying Taiwan September 19, 2013
• USAGI Intensifies to Super Typhoon Force  September 20, 2013
• Global Disasters/ Significant Events – September 21, 2013 September 21, 2013
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale September 3, 2008
• Satellite Imagery

Floods Cause Major Destruction in Cambodia

Floods submerge half of Cambodia, killing at least 30 people, inundating 67,000 homes, displacing thousands of families

At least 30 people have been killed in Cambodia in recent floods triggered by heavy rains, exacerbated by Typhoon WUTIP, and the overflowing of Mekong River.

The floods have inundated at least 67,000 homes affecting more than 600,000 people and forcing about 10,000 families to abandon their homes and seek shelter in higher grounds.

Floodwaters have destroyed about 100,000 hectares of rice paddies.

Some 385 schools, 30 health centers and 245 Buddhist pagodas have also been inundated, said the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM).

“Ten out of the kingdom’s 24 cities and provinces are being hit by the Mekong River and flash floods,” said NCDM .

“As water still continue to rise, there will be more people affected and evacuated in coming days,” he told Xinhua.

People push their motorcycles through a flooded area near the Royal Palace in central Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photo credit: Reuters/Samrang Pring

Related Links

• Floods in Thailand Kill 23, Force Thousands of Evacuations October 2, 2013
• WUTIP Hammers Central Vietnam October 1, 2013
• WUTIP Making Landfall in Central Vietnam September 30, 2013
• Typhoon WUTIP Headed for Vietnam, Laos, Thailand September 29, 2013
• USAGI Disaster Update: 25 Dead; 7,100 Homes Destroyed September 23, 2013
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale September 3, 2008
• Satellite Imagery

Today is World Water Day

Water Issues: Scarcity and Pollution

A sever drought is affecting about 60 million people in SW China. Well that’s less than 1 percent of the world population, you could argue.

But another 60 million people are severely affected by a drought in the Mekong Basin, which is threatening not just their livelihood, but their survival.  The water flows are the lowest  for 20 years, warns the Mekong River Commission (MRC). The drought has an impact on agriculture, food security, access to clean water and river transport.

Drought conditions are so severe in parts of Africa most women have to walk five miles per day, carrying just enough water for drinking and cooking in large containers placed on their head.

Of Africa’s 53 nations, only 10 countries have adequate drinking water. In Uganda alone, more than 10 million people have no access to clean water.

More than a billion people have NO access to safe water and about 2.5 billion people live without adequate sanitation. About 55 percent of “developing world’s” population are  suffering from at least one major illness  related to unsafe water and poor sanitation.

Each day, at least 6,000 children die of waterborne diseases including diarrhoeal diseases and malaria.—UNICEF

Mwamanongu Village water source, Tanzania. In Meatu district, Shinyanga region, Tanzania, water most often comes from open holes dug in the sand of dry riverbeds, and it is invariably contaminated. Credit:  Bob Metcalf

Unsanitary water is responsible for 80 per cent of all illnesses,  and is world’s number one killer, UN says.

The UN also states that unsanitary water is responsible for 1.5 million cases of hepatitis A (and 133 million cases of intestinal parasites).

According to the world bank, waterborne illnesses are each year responsible for:

• 4 billion cases of diarrhea, killing more than 6 million people.
• 300 million cases of malaria
• 200 million cases of schistosomiasis
• 6 million people are blinded by trachoma ( 500 million people who are currently at risk of contracting the disease).

Bottom line

As of  March 2010

• One in five people on this planet have no access to clean water.
• One in ten people is experiencing a severe to a moderate drought.

Every year, nearly 11 million children die before reaching their fifth birthday, most from preventable causes. That is approximately, 30, 000 children per day. Another 300 million children suffer from illnesses caused by lack of clean water, poor nutrition and inadequate health services and care. —UNICEF

Related Links:

• Clean water Action
• The Story of Bottled Water (Annie Leonard)

• SW China on the precipice of catastrophe
• ‘Diarrhea water’
• French Water!
• How Much Water?