The severe drought and water shortage that are raging in the central region will continue until mid-September, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting warned on Thursday. Last month, scorching weather hit most of the central and northern parts of the country, with the hottest temperature recorded at 42 degrees Celsius in the north-central province of Quang Tri on May 30. This temperature is higher than the record high of 41.7 degrees recorded in 1983. From now to the end of August, the national average temperature range will be 0.5-1 degree Celsius higher than the average rate of the past many years, the center said. Particularly, rainfall in central provinces will be lower than the average of the past few years, worsening the current drought and prolonging it for about three months, until mid-September, the center warned. In the same period, the flow of most rivers in the central region will decrease by 30 percent to 60 percent, and even up to 90 percent for some rivers in south-central provinces. In general, the drought in the central region may be very serious, reaching disaster risk level 3 – a high level at which the drought will cause damage to people and domestic animals as well as severe damage to property, infrastructural facilities and the environment. On Thursday, high temperatures in central Vietnam topped 41.5 degrees in Nghe An Province’s Quy Hop District, 41.2 degrees in Ha Tinh Province’s Huong Khe District, and 41.1 degrees in Quang Tri. Today, the baking weather continues in the region, with the overall hottest temperature reaching over 39 degrees. Meanwhile, the Southern Hydro-Meteorological Station yesterday warned that the rainy season has begun 20-30 days later in many provinces in the southern region compared to past years. The rainfall in the first period of the rainy season has been lower than the normal average rate, Dang Van Dung, deputy director of the station, said. For example, the average rainfall in Dong Nai Province in May was only 45mm, while that in past years was much higher, at 228mm, Dung said.  The duration of sunshine in the same period was longer than in the past, resulting in the recent hot and muggy weather, he added.

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