Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam should expect severe to extreme drought until at least January 2020, threatening agricultural production, experts warn. Their main water source, the Mekong River, is at its lowest level in over half a century.

Drought has already caused the Mekong to drop to its lowest level in at least 60 years, with exceptionally low flow in the lower Mekong basin since June, according to the Mekong River Commission.

The commission, established 24 years ago, works directly with the governments of the four countries to jointly manage shared water resources and sustainable development of the Mekong River. The commission says that of the four, Thailand (northern) and Cambodia will be the hardest hit, compared to Laos and Vietnam.

“The drought is being caused by inadequate rainfall during this year’s wet season and late arrival and early departure of the monsoon rains.”

“An El Niño event has created abnormally high temperatures and high evaporation.”

The Commission noted that during the third and fourth weeks of November, the vast majority of the lower Mekong basin is expected to be impacted and the drought condition is forecast to worsen through December and early January, with most parts of the basin having little to no rain.

During a normal year, monsoon rains start in late May and ends in October, but this year they began almost two weeks late and stopped about three weeks earlier than usual.

“This year’s prolonged dry weather could affect crop production. Shortage of drinking water could also become an issue if the drought persists.”

Drought is expected to worsen from December to early January, with most parts of the basin having little to no rain. Many parts of Thailand are also preparing for water shortages, including the southern holiday island of Phuket, where the catchments have received much lower than usual rainfall over the wet season.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post

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PHOTO: National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting

“Vietnam Airlines and Jetstar Pacific have cancelled or delayed a number of domestic flights that criss cross the affected region.”

Tropical storm Nakri has now crossed Vietnam’s coast around Binh Dinh to Khanh Hoa provinces. The slow-moving system is weakening as it moves north west. The storm is expected to further weaken into a tropical depression and move further inland into Cambodia. For a time on Friday the storm was up-graded to a Typhoon but has weakened since before making landfall.

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PHOTO: en.sat24.com

The former tropical storm Nakri has now strengthened to a Category 5 ‘typhoon’ as it moves across the South China Sea toward the Vietnamese coast. It is predicted to make landfall later today or Monday at the latest.

Typhoon Nakri, packing wind speeds as high as 120kph at its epi-centre, was in the middle of South China Sea yesterday, moving slowly westwards at 15kph.

Meanwhile AccuWeather says the latest prediction is for landfall somewhere along the coast from Da Nang to Qui Hong later today.

“Downpours from Severe Tropical Storm Nakri will increase the risk for flooding across portions of Indochina into early next week.

“An area of low pressure being monitored by AccuWeather Meteorologists developed into a tropical storm on Tuesday evening, local time, across the South China Sea. The storm was given the name Nakri.

“Nakri has the strength equivalent of a ‘Category 1 hurricane’ (a scale used in the US). The system brought rounds of rain across the western Philippines during the early and middle parts of the week.

“The heaviest rain is expected to arrive across the south-central coast and southeast Vietnam on Saturday night before spreading farther inland through early parts of next week.”

“The Joint Typhoon Warning Center expects Nakri to slowly track westward and make landfall in Vietnam late on November 10 or early November 11, to the south of Danang.”

GRAPHIC: AccuWeather

In Thailand, the approaching typhoon could bring moderate rain to parts the kingdom’s Northeast, including Yasothon Amnat Charoen, Ubon Ratchathani, Si Sa Ket and Surin provinces and the eastern provinces of Sa Kaew, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat, according to the Thai Meteorological Department.

Another cold front from China is expected to blanket northern Thailand from November 13-15 and this will, initially, cause temperatures in the Northeast and eastern region to dip, followed by the northern and the central regions.

The northern and north-eastern regions will experience strong winds while temperatures are forecast to drop 3-5⁰C in mountainous areas. Mercury in the central and eastern regions is predicted to dip 2-4⁰C.

Isolated heavy rain is forecast for the south, with rough seas in the Gulf of Thailand.

“Sailors and fishermen are advised to exercise greater caution.”

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