AFP – Thousands of people in Vietnam are suffering a “severe” shortage of fresh water because of drought and salinisation, prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency yesterday.
A weeks-long heatwave has brought drought and saline intrusion to an area of Tien Giang province, 60 kilometres (km) south of business hub Ho Chi Minh City.
The province’s Tan Phu Dong area – with 12km of coastline along the South China Sea, crisscrossed by waterways – has been particularly badly hit.
Salinisation – the intrusion of salt water from the sea – has severely affected crops and thousands of households among the 43,000 people living in the area, the state-controlled Vietnam News Agency said. A state of emergency over the shortage of water for domestic use was announced yesterday for the Tan Phu Dong district, it added.
