The central province of Nghe An’s People’s Committee has for the first time announced a state of emergency across the province due to prolonged severe drought occurring in the locality during the summer-autumn crop 2015.

A field in Dien Chau District, Nghe An Province. Photo: Nghe An 24h.

Together with the announcement, the province asked localities to assess losses caused by the drought to crop cultivation, animal breeding and aquaculture in order to report to the central government and ask for support.

According to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, lingering drought has created drastic impacts on provincial socio-economy and livelihoods.

Currently, most of the reservoirs have been dried up, with the water volume standing at about 20-30 percent of their designed capacity. Pumping stations along the province’s largest river, the Lam River, can no longer operate.

Of the total 42,440 hectares of summer-autumn crops cultivated in the locality, over 4,500 hectares were damaged due to water shortages, as were tens of thousands of hectares of maize, tea, sugar cane and other crops, causing great losses to local farmers.

VNA