US embassy cable - 05HANOI857

UNCLAS  HANOI 000857 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV 
USDOC FOR 4430/MAC/ASIA/OPB/VLC/HPPHO 
STATE FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA KISAACS, GGOTTIEB 
STATE FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA MMARX, RTHAYER, BDEEMER 
STATE FOR USAID/DCHA DAA WILLIAM GARVELINK 
BANGKOK FOR USAID/OFDA SENIOR REGIONAL ADVISOR TOM DOLAN 
KATHMANDU FOR OFDA REGIONAL ADVISOR WILLIAM BERGER 
GENEVA FOR USAID NANCE KYLOH 
USDA FOR FAS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAGR, EAID, ECON, ENRG, VM 
SUBJECT: VIETNAM SUFFERING SEVERE DROUGHT IN SOME AREAS 
 
REF: A) HANOI 773, B) HCMC 0307, C) 04 HCMC 1493 
 
1. (SBU) Summary:  The South Central and Central Highland 
regions of Vietnam are experiencing a severe drought. 
According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and 
Rural Development (MARD), an estimated 1.12 million people 
are facing daily water shortages and more than 500,000 
people are suffering from hunger due to the drought.  While 
the Government of Vietnam (GVN) has not officially requested 
international assistance, non-governmental organizations 
(NGOs) have been invited by provincial counterpart agencies 
to mobilize emergency relief assistance to drought-stricken 
areas.  Forecasts in April call for continued lack of 
rainfall and high temperatures (as high as 40 degrees 
Celsius).  Although the rainy season in the Central 
Highlands usually starts in May, the rainy season in the 
Coastal Central provinces normally does not start until 
September.  Mission Vietnam is monitoring the situation 
carefully and stands ready to provide further updates and to 
seek possible emergency disaster assistance, should the 
conditions deteriorate further.  End Summary. 
 
2. (U) The South Central and Central Highland regions of 
Vietnam are experiencing a severe drought.  According to 
MARD, an estimated 1.12 million people are facing daily 
water shortages and more than 500,000 people are suffering 
from hunger due to the current severe drought.  MARD 
estimates that damages to agriculture and livestock in the 
five Central Highlands provinces are about USD 113 million 
so far.  According to Dak Lak Provincial Department of 
Planning and Investment officials, the province's coffee 
industry has lost at least half of its coffee crop this 
season with an estimated value of USD 38 million. 
Unconfirmed news reports indicate that Ninh Thuan and Binh 
Thuan Provinces are the most affected in the South Central 
region with estimated USD 8 million each in damages.  Save 
the Children estimates that in Ninh Thuan Province, 
irrigation systems are currently at only 25 to 40 percent of 
water capacity, planted areas have been reduced more than 
half and livestock counts are down dramatically. 
 
3. (U) In addition to hunger and lack of water, secondary 
impacts of the drought reportedly include saltwater 
intrusion in lowland coastal areas of the Mekong Delta and a 
heightened risk of forest fires.  Several Mekong Delta 
provinces including Bac Lieu, Ben Tre, Ca Mau, Hau Giang, 
Kien Giang, Long An, Soc Trang and Tra Vinh have experienced 
seawater encroachment into fields 20-50 kilometers inland. 
Seawater has also contaminated household drinking wells. 
The drought has also affected Vietnam's power industry, 
especially hydropower plants, which may result in 
electricity shortages in the near future (Ref A).  There is 
no relief in the immediate future.  Relief may come sooner 
in the Central Highlands where the rainy season usually 
starts in May than in the Coastal Central provinces where 
the rains come in September. 
 
4. (U) According to the American Red Cross (ARC), the Prime 
Minister has allocated USD 700,000 for disaster relief 
efforts.  Unconfirmed news reports, however, indicate that 
the government will provide USD 6.3 million for drought 
relief efforts to agencies in Binh Thuan, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, 
Gia Lai, Khanh Hoa, Kon Tum, Lam Dong, Ninh Thuan and Phu 
Yen provinces of central and south-central Vietnam.  The ARC 
has confirmed that the Prime Minister's office has also 
mobilized a donation of rice to aid drought-stricken 
communities.  Reportedly, the amount is 15,000 tons. 
 
5. (U) Many provinces plan to use government funds to dig 
new wells and improve existing irrigation networks in 
drought-stricken areas.  In Dak Lak Province, over 500 
reservoirs have reportedly dried up and local authorities 
will reportedly spend USD 1.0 million of provincial funds to 
support construction of new wells and supply potable water 
to drought-stricken communities, according to ARC officials. 
 
6. (SBU) While the Government of Vietnam (GVN) has not 
officially requested international assistance, non- 
governmental organizations (NGOs) have been invited by 
provincial authorities to mobilize emergency relief 
assistance to drought-stricken areas.  An NGO disaster 
mitigation working group led by Oxfam Great Britain recently 
conducted a field mission and is preparing a needs 
assessment report.  Counterpart International is mobilizing 
emergency food assistance to the Central Highlands area. 
The ARC has expressed "concern" over the drought situation 
and is coordinating a response with its local partners.  ARC 
officials expect that the drought situation "will escalate 
over time" and have begun comparing this year to the 
destructive drought in 1998.  Although the United Nations 
(UN) has not yet provided financial assistance to the GVN, 
the UN remains concerned and has requested a Donor's Meeting 
with MARD this week, which MARD has now confirmed for April 
15. 
 
7. (SBU) COMMENT: While the drought is caused by hydro- 
meteorological conditions, and is bad in both regions, its 
impact in the Central Highland provinces of Vietnam is 
amplified by increasing population pressures, conversion of 
primary forest to commercial (i.e. coffee plantations), and 
subsistence agriculture, as well as increasing dependence on 
water for irrigation and electricity generation over the 
past decade.  There is no sense of panic yet among local 
officials, but a humanitarian crisis is a real possibility 
should the drought continue in the coming months.  With 
weather forecasts calling for continued lack of rainfall and 
high temperatures (as high as 40 decrees Celsius), Post is 
monitoring the situation carefully and stands ready to 
provide further updates and to seek possible emergency 
disaster assistance, should conditions deteriorate further. 
 
MARINE 
 
 
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