Central Viet Nam will have hot weather today due to a low pressure system moving east and hot and dry wind.

Suoi Hanh Lake in Khanh Hoa Province has dried up. Drought in the central region has emptied most reservoirs.

The National Hydro-meteorological Forecast Centre said yesterday the heat covered northwest mountains areas, with temperature ranging from 35 to more than 37 degrees Celsius in provinces from Thanh Hoa to Thua Thien-Hue.

Today, the temperature is expected to range from 35 to 38 degrees.

Quang Tri is suffering under prolonged drought. It faces severe water shortages that threaten agriculture, said the provincial People's Committee.

Hydro-power reservoirs, which supply water to irrigate crops, are nearly empty.

The People's Committee has told agencies to urgently upgrade reservoirs to catch more water during the rainy season.

In Quang Nam, the People's Committee has approved a plan to fight drought with an investment of VND37 billion (US$1.7 million).

The project also aims to repair, and build pumping stations, dams and canals to prevent saline intrusion from the Vinh Dien and Thu Bon rivers by dredging rivers and canals.

Meanwhile, more than 1,000 households with about 4,300 residents in Kien Hai District's Hon Tre Island in the southern province of Kien Giang are suffering from a shortage of water for daily use and production.

Ground water and wells there are also drying up due to the dry weather. 

VNS