Vietnam is suffering heavy losses due to increasingly severe droughts under the impacts of the El Nino phenomenon, as statistics show that in the first six months of 2012 natural disasters brought losses of over VND2 trillion.

El Nino is an anomaly in which the Pacific Ocean sea surface temperature rises by 0.5 degree Celsius against the average level of many years and lasts for at least 5-6 months, said Bao Thanh, vice director of the Institute of Hydrometeorology and Environment.

In Vietnam, the signs of El Nino are that winter in the north begins late, the number of storms significantly declines, and rainfall along the South Central coast is considerably lower, Thanh told the Daily.

When El Nino occurs, storms and tropical depressions appear less often. However, there will be unusual storms and tropical depressions that strike unexpected lands and have unpredictable movements.

Unusual weather patterns under the impact of El Nino make it difficult for rice farming. If this situation is not promptly remedied, rice productivity and output as well as national food security will be affected, said Thanh.

To cope with El Nino, he suggested Vietnam should continue to regulate water at hydropower reservoirs to ensure water supply for cultivation. As for the water-scarce areas, the authorities should guide farmers to switch to suitable crops, preventing the areas from becoming uncultivated.

More importantly, it is a must to draw up plans to tackle droughts, supplement pumping stations, arrange schedules for rotation irrigation, tighten control on water sources, and prevent water leakage from reservoirs, Thanh stated.

Statistics show that natural disasters in the first half of 2012 claimed 22 lives and injured 61 people. Nearly 22,500 houses were blown down or had roofs blown off.

Moreover, 40,000 hectares of rice, 1,300 hectares of other crops and 28,000 hectares of industrial crops were damaged causing the huge losses.

SGT