The Vietnam Red Cross (VRC) has provided 900 water tanks to 900 poor and ethnic minority households in Ninh Thuan, Khanh Hoa, Dak Lak and Phu Yen provinces in response to the region’s ongoing droughts.

A irrigation lake being depleted due to droughts in Kon Tum province.

VRC also called on businesses and organisations to help central province residents minimise drought damage.

The Vietnam Railway Corporation said it would deliver the water tanks for free, while PetroVietnam donated 1,000 water tanks to residents of Ninh Thuan province.

Vietnam is forecast to experience severe weather conditions in 2015, especially heat waves and droughts, according to the National Hydro-Meteorology Service (HMS).

At a recent conference reviewing disaster prevention initiatives in 2014 and plans for 2015 held in Da Nang city, the agency said that Vietnam is likely to face more severe heat waves, droughts and storms and that rain and flooding will be less severe but more abnormal.

Drought, water scarcity and saltwater intrusion will increase in central and south central provinces and could last until September, it said.

In the early months of 2015, periods of severe drought occurred in many provinces, most severely in the southern central provinces.

Source: VNA