Severe drought in the Central region caused flocks of Ninh Thuan sheep to die and the lake to have a bare bottom and crack

With a dry season lasting 9 months and the lowest average annual rainfall in Vietnam, Ninh Thuan is considered the driest region in the country.

Ninh Thuan is located in the South Central Coast region; The North borders Khanh Hoa, the South borders Binh Thuan, the West borders Lam Dong and the East borders the East Sea.

The average annual temperature in Ninh Thuan is 26-27 degrees Celsius, air humidity is 75-77%. The weather in Ninh Thuan has two distinct seasons: rainy season from September to November; The dry season is from December to August of the following year. Average rainfall is 700-800 mm, gradually increasing to over 1,100 mm in mountainous areas.

Water sources in Ninh Thuan are unevenly distributed, concentrated mainly in the northern and central areas of the province. Groundwater resources are only one-third of the national average.

Crops have no water to irrigate, many livestock such as sheep and cows die of hunger and thirst. People here are facing a loss-making crop.

The sheep are "thirsty" and lack food due to dry fields, exhausted in the fierce drought of the Central region.

"There has been a drought in recent times, there has been a lack of water, sheep have no water to drink and there is no grass to eat, so many people have died," Mr. Tran Cong Con said sadly.

According to the people of Ninh Thuan, the drought caused the lake to have a bare bottom, no grass to eat, and the newborn lambs also died early.

According to the leader of Ninh Thuan Province Irrigation Works Exploitation One Member LLC, as of April 22, the total capacity of 23 water reservoirs in the province is currently 168.72 million/417.70 million. m3, accounting for over 40% of the design capacity. Some reservoirs have depleted water such as Ong Kinh lake, CK7 lake and some lakes are at risk of drying up such as Phuoc Nhon lake, Suoi Lon, Bau Ngu, Ta Ranh, Bau Zon.

According to forecasts, if the drought persists, many lakes will no longer have water for irrigation, many agricultural areas in the province will have to stop production, and the risk of hunger will occur in many localities in the province. " Today, 8-9 of the big cows and small cows died. There is no food or water. This is the only way to die," a resident said.

Ninh Thuan Provincial People's Committee said that prolonged drought, low rainfall combined with hot weather will lead to severe water shortages in rural areas. Currently, some spring water sources have decreased, such as Suoi Lanh, O Cam, Lo O, Kien Kien, A Nhan, Ma Nhong, Tap La.

According to the plan to respond to drought, water shortage and saltwater intrusion in 2024, if there is no rain in the worst case in May, this year Ninh Thuan will have to stop producing nearly 7,600 hectares, of which nearly 4,900 hectares are crops and 2,692 hectares are hectares of rice, concentrated in communes of Bac Ai, Thuan Nam and Ninh Phuoc districts.

Now, exhausted sheep in the drought in Ninh Thuan have to graze on the dried grass left in the middle of the fields and cracked lake beds.

The wish of the people is not only to have rain to ease the drought, but also to have timely local plans to bring water to help this long-term drought.

In the arid space, in addition to the continuously operating sound of pumps, there is only the dry sound of wild birds signaling a long dry season that challenges people and animals here.

As of April 22, 2024, the total capacity of 23 water reservoirs in Ninh Thuan province is 168.72 million/417.70 million m3, accounting for over 40% of the design capacity. According to forecasts, if the drought lasts for a long time, many lakes will no longer have water for irrigation, many agricultural areas in the province will have to stop production, and the risk of hunger will occur in many localities. In particular, there will be a shortage of water for people's daily life, with about 1,484 households/5,836 people in some localities of the districts needing to transport water for service.

Faced with that situation, Ninh Thuan province is focusing on synchronously deploying urgent and long-term solutions to respond, proactively mobilizing all resources to prevent people from lacking water for daily use, and to prevent hunger and other problems from occurring. disease epidemic, focus on drastically converting crops to save water, protect livestock, and avoid major losses.