Vietnamese environmental ministry orders to address severe water shortages

On May 8, 2023, the Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) issued official document No. 3176/BTNMT-TNN on Urgent Solutions to Minimize the Risk of Water Shortage in the Downstream Areas in the Central, Central Highlands, and Southeast Regions, to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Construction, and the People’s Committees at the province and city levels. According to MONRE, water levels in large and important reservoirs are currently very low and below the reservoir operation standards for the dry season of each river basin. Of course water levels of reservoirs greatly vary, the differences between current and usual levels ranges from 16 million m³ at the minimum to 389 million m³ at the maximum. In one reservoir, the water level has dropped by 24 meters.