There is a high risk of drought in the central and south-central coastal provinces as the dry season is forecast to extend to August and even September of 2019, according to Hoang Phuc Lam, Deputy Director of the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF).

Speaking at a conference on natural disaster control work for the central and Central Highlands region in Khanh Hoa province on July 5, the official also said the storm season would come later than normal this year, with fewer storms and tropical low pressure systems to hit the country this year. 

However, he urged caution against exceptionally strong storms with complicated developments. 

The conference looked back at the work in forecasting, warning and coping with natural disasters in the recent past, and drew out lessons for localities in the region to improve their performance in the field. 

Representatives from Khanh Hoa, Thua Thien-Hue and Binh Dinh provinces and Da Nang city shared their localities’ experience in responding to flash floods, landslides and urban flooding in 2018. 

Concluding the conference, Vice Chairman of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control Tran Quang Hoai outlines 11 key tasks for agencies and authorities in the region in responding to natural disasters during the remaining time of the year. 

One of the tasks is to accelerate the pace of projects to deal with coastal erosion and river mouth sedimentation as the storm and rainy season is approaching.