Application of SERVIR - Mekong’s RDCYIS tool to enhance drought forecast and warning generation in Ninh Thuan Province

As considered as a hotspot of drought in Vietnam, Ninh Thuan in recent years has to face with 10 years repetition of severe droughts which captured in 1993-1994; 2004-2005 2014-2016 and 2019-2020. Under the pressure of population growth, increasing water demand for economic sectors, and the context of climate change, drought influences and its occurrences are more and more fierce and complex. Therefore, the research and application of advanced technology as Regional Drought and Crop Yield Information System (RDCYIS) developed by Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) on drought assessment and forecast to the local is considered as a proper selection. In this research, Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) 1 month and 3 months generated by RDCYIS was used and compared with that of 3 selected in-situ stations in Ninh Thuan province. The results shown that the determination of the historical rainfall at any location by RDCYIS is convenient, overcoming the disadvantage of the lack of rain measuring station in the past. This would help to prepare for and respond to drought situations impacted due to climate change by taking short and long-term risk mitigation measures such as accurate water management in reservoirs and adjusting cropping calendars, and so on. As such, tool performance in improving drought bulletins and management strategies in Ninh Thuan province is detailed in this paper.