In early March, one or two cold spells are likely to hit the north while hot weather remains in the southeastern region.
The total rainfalls in the north and north central regions are 10%-30% less than the many-year average in the same period.
Across the Mekong Delta, more than 200,000 tonnes of rice have been damaged, resulting in a loss of over VND1 trillion (US$44.64 million).
In the winter-spring crop 2015-2016, there were 339,200ha of rice in coastal Mekong Delta provinces prone to saltwater intrusion and drought, accounting for 21.9% of the region’s total rice area, and 104,000ha of which have already been severely impacted.
The centre said saltwater intrusion has already hit alarming levels in Ca Mau, Kien Giang, Ben Tre and Tra Vinh provinces.
