Dead Fish, Drying Rice Fields Forebode El Nino's Threat To Mekong Agriculture

By Vijian Paramasivam

PHNOM PENH, July 5 (NNN) -- Governments across the Mekong region are stepping up preparations as El Nino threatens to disrupt farming, food production, and the agriculture-dependent economies of the Indochina belt.

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) on July 3 warned that El Nino, the natural Pacific weather pattern characterised by the warming of sea surface temperatures, could increase in intensity over the coming months and trigger extreme weather events in many parts of the world.

“It is hot and there is less rain this season, it has some impact on rice fields. Farmers face problems because of this but provincial authorities are bringing water from surrounding provinces to help our farmers. Sixty-five per cent of the people here are farmers,” Banteay Meanchey province Governor Oum Reatrey told Bernama in a telephone interview.

The northwest province of Cambodia has about 260,000 hectares of paddy cultivation. Another 70,000 hectares comprises cassava plantation.

Early warning signs are already emerging, including rising temperatures, receding river levels, and worsening drought.

Officials in Cambodia’s northwestern province of Siem Reap swung into action in late May to investigate dead fish floating on Tamouk Lake. About two tonnes of fish died, believed to be linked to prolonged heat and low oxygen levels, reported local media.

Meanwhile, about 20,000 hectares of rain-fed rice fields in Battambang province in northwestern Cambodia are reportedly facing a water shortage.

Authorities in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam are on alert and have urged local agencies to prepare for extreme weather.

El Nino is a nightmare to farmers. The weather pattern brings little rainfall and prolonged dry spells, and water scarcity affects irrigation.

For the agrarian economies in the Greater Mekong Region, home to over 300 million people, many of whom dependent on farming and fishing, adverse weather can cripple livelihoods and the rural economies.  

For instance, Vietnamese farmers who export rice, coffee beans, tropical fruits, and seafood are likely to face reduced yields.

Cambodian growers of cashew nuts, rice, cassava, mangoes, and bananas would suffer from inadequate water supplies due to the effects of El Nino.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on June 26 directed relevant ministries and institutions to prepare food and materials to assist affected farmers in a timely manner.

In Vietnam, authorities have warned that heatwaves are affecting many localities nationwide, with temperatures ranging from 36 to 40 degrees Celsius.

In the Mekong Delta, the nation’s rice bowl and home to 20 million people, drought and water shortages could affect around 350,000 hectares of winter-spring rice, reported Vietnam News.

The delta is known for rice, seafood and fruit production.

Earlier, the Lao News Agency reported that El Nino could affect rainfall patterns across the country until July. This could increase the risks of drought, water shortages, forest fires, and damage to agriculture and livestock.

The WMO forecasts a strong El Nino event from July to September this year.

“El Nino conditions are already underway and are forecast to strengthen rapidly into a strong event –  as accurately anticipated by WMO forecasts.

“This will intensify the chances of drought and heavy rainfall and the risk of heatwaves on land and marine heatwaves in many regions of the world,” WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said in a press statement.

--NNN