Mekong Delta faces 'drought flood' as water levels plummet

Readers are voicing deep concern and a sense of melancholy over the unusually low water levels in the Mekong River, fearing a year of "drought flood" for Vietnam's Mekong Delta. The anticipated scarcity of floodwaters, a traditional source of life and prosperity for the region, has cast a shadow over the upcoming season.

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El Nino and hydropower combined, the people of the West face difficulties. I hope the state will soon have a support plan for the people.

Experts explain that the Mekong's diminished water levels this year are a result of a confluence of factors. The El Niño phenomenon has led to significantly reduced rainfall in the lower basin countries, including Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Compounding this is the increased water storage by upstream hydropower dams. These combined effects have delayed the arrival of the monsoon flood by approximately six weeks compared to the average year.

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The Mekong in flood season, with lots of silt, fish, and flooded rice fields… Now there is no flood, the villages are waiting in vain.

Ecological expert Nguyễn Hữu Thiện highlights the cascading consequences of this water shortage. Reduced floodwaters mean less water for agricultural production and a heightened risk of saltwater intrusion during the upcoming dry season. Furthermore, the natural aquatic resources that typically flow from the upper Mekong River into the delta are expected to decrease substantially. Thiện predicts that the decline in natural fisheries could persist for two to three years.

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Anyone who lives by the river knows that the flood brings not only water but also a season of joy, a season of reunion stories. Now, with prolonged drought, all those memories are easily lost…

Readers shared their anxieties about the impact on their livelihoods. Lê Bình Nguyên expressed hope for government support, while Vũ Quốc Huy lamented the absence of the familiar, life-giving flood. Đồng Mai Phương Anh reflected on how the flood season brings not just water but also joy and family reunions, memories now threatened by prolonged drought. Phạm Thanh Tùng and Nguyễn Quốc Thanh also voiced worries about the agricultural sector and the changing ecosystem due to reduced river flow and dam operations. Nguyễn P.Phương, from An Giang, fears a "poor harvest" due to the lack of floodwater for rice paddies, calling the situation "truly difficult."

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Reading this makes me very worried. The West has little rain now, and if it's also 'starving' for floods, it will be very difficult. Too much hydropower water storage also has an impact.