Drought hardships in central Vietnam

An estimated 1.12 million people in central Vietnam and the Central Highlands face water shortages, while more than 524,000 people suffer from hunger as a result of the severe drought which has struck the country. At least nine provinces in the Mekong Delta have had their land contaminated by seawater in recent days. Dak Lak province will allot $1 million to help localities dig or drill water wells. Earlier the Prime Minister had allocated around $6.3 million and 15,000 tons of rice to help residents of drought-stricken provinces. (Vietnam News Briefs March 24).