Drought threatens hydropower in Vietnam

Low water levels in reservoirs opened in January to irrigate rice fields in Vietnam are threatening to undermine hydropower-fuelled electricity, warn experts.



Approximately 2.7 billion cubic metres of water, equivalent to 500 million kilowatts of electricity, were discharged to irrigate more than 635,000 hectares of crops, according to Nguyen Tri Ngoc, head of the cultivation department in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.



However, increasingly volatile weather patterns, coupled with heightened water demands from households and local industries, have contributed to a drought that could mean cutting off needed energy. Nearly one-third of Vietnam's electricity is derived from hydropower.



"The government will have to ration electricity. They have already increased electricity prices by 15 percent to reduce consumption and save water in hydroelectric dams," said Koos Neefjes, climate change policy adviser for UN Development Programme.



"Given the increase in severity of droughts being experienced in Vietnam, the

country's overdependence on hydropower means it can expect to experience more energy blackouts," said Ame Trandems with the US-based NGO International Rivers.



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