Amid the risk that El Niño will worsen drought, water shortages and saltwater intrusion in 2027, Da Nang has proposed limiting power generation at five major hydropower reservoirs in the Vu Gia and Thu Bon river basin.
On Nov. 5, the Da Nang People's Committee Office said Tran Nam Hung, deputy chairman of the city People's Committee, had signed a letter to the National Power System and Electricity Market Operation Company. The city proposed limiting generation at five hydropower reservoirs in the Vu Gia and Thu Bon basin to prioritize water storage and prepare for a possible water shortage in 2027 caused by El Niño.
According to the Da Nang People's Committee, reports, warnings and forecasts for El Niño indicate that the risk of drought, water shortages and saltwater intrusion in the city is high to very high. The risk is particularly serious in the Vu Gia and Thu Bon basin.
Under a very high-risk scenario, prolonged heat, a late start to the 2027 rainy season, low reservoir levels and declining upstream flows in the Vu Gia and Thu Bon rivers could occur at the same time. This could seriously affect water supplies for farming and household use downstream.
Water levels in the A Vuong, Song Bung 2, Song Bung 4, Dak Mi 4 and Song Tranh 2 reservoirs are currently very low. The reservoirs may not be able to store enough water for agriculture and household supplies downstream of the Vu Gia and Thu Bon rivers during the 2027 dry season.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has sent a letter calling for early measures to address the risk of water shortages in 2027 caused by El Niño in the Vu Gia and Thu Bon basin.
The Da Nang People's Committee asked the National Power System and Electricity Market Operation Company to consider not dispatching the five hydropower plants, or to operate them with minimal water release through power generation, until Nov. 11.
Rain is forecast in the Vu Gia and Thu Bon basin during that period. The rainfall would allow the reservoirs to begin storing water and gradually improve water supplies across the basin.
The Da Nang People's Committee said the El Niño forecast for 2026 and 2027, the preliminary assessment of possible impacts and the technical basis for an impact-based forecast used in disaster-risk management were prepared by the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology. The risk of drought, water shortages and saltwater intrusion caused by El Niño during the 2026-2027 dry season is assessed as very high.
Sources: Thanh Niên
