Serious flooding has inundated a large part of the central region after heavy rains in recent days and the release of water from the reservoir of the Huong Dien hydropower electricity plant located on the Bo River in the central Thua Thien Hue Province.

The flood is considered abnormal in the area since it is now in the dry season. It has caused serious damage to crops in Quang Ngai, Quang Nam and Thua Thien Hue provinces in the past couple of days.

The rainfall in some localities of Quang Ngai in the last four or five days was measured at 500mm, damaging not only crops but also roads and bridges.

Nearly 500 hectares of crops in Quang Ngai were badly affected. Some areas were isolated by floodwaters.

Le Han Phong, chairman of the People’s Committee of Ba To District, said, “Local authorities are cutting forest to build a temporary road to rescue locals.”

In Quang Nam Province, the entire Nong Son District has been isolated because roads linking the area were under around two meters of water.

Some 70 percent of crops in Que Phuoc and Que Ninh Communes were damaged.

According to the Central Hydrometeorology Center, areas along rivers in the central region from Thua Thien Hue to Quang Ngai are forecast to see landslides due to rains and floodwater.

Nguyen Ngoc Tien, head of the agricultural unit in Quang Dien District, Thua Thien Hue, was quoted in Thanh Nien newspaper that, “I was told that Huong Dien power plant released water at 5:30am on March 27.

“Floodwaters rose quickly, flooding the entire area of rice fields and local roads at 7:00am.

“They let out water at a volume of 800 cubic meters a second which is equivalent to the volume of water of the historic flood in 1999.”

Many families have fled their houses and cultivation land because of the floodwater, he added.