HCM CITY — Floods in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta are expected to occur earlier this year due to higher than average rainfall, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

Besides the heavier rainfall, the water levels measured in the Mekong riverhead during the dry season were 0.45 - 0.55 metres higher than average, according to the centre.

By the end of next month, water levels at Tân Châu and Châu Đốc stations are expected to be 2.5 - 3 metres high.

This year’s flood peak is expected to occur in the first half of October, at levels 2 and 3 (Tiền River in Tân Châu station, from 4.0 to 4.5m; and Hậu River at Châu Đốc station from 3.5 – 4.0m).

The 2017 flood peak is expected to be nearly the same as last year and previous years.

However, there is a risk of floods rising faster than normal this year, due to heavy rains occurring for many days in the upper reaches of the Mekong river, the centre said.

Early flooding could occur in Tân Hưng and Vĩnh Hưng districts in Long An Province and some riverside areas in An Giang and Đồng Tháp provinces.

Lê Thanh Tùng, deputy head of the southern office of the Cultivation Department, said that farmers might not be able to harvest rice before the floods arrive.

To minimise the damage caused by the floods, the centre has recommended that localities closely monitor the hydrological situation in the Mekong Basin via media reports.

Meanwhile, the northern and central regions could face forest fires in the dry season this year, according to the centre.

The Việt Nam Administration of Forestry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has also warned about the risk of forest fires in many localities. — VNS