Mekong Delta facing the challenge of climate change

Thứ Tư, 28/09/2016, 11:17

PSN - September 26th in Ca Mau, The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) in collaboration with The South West Steering Committee, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development(MARD), Ca Mau People's Committee held the conference on adaptation to climate change (CC), water resource management in the Mekong Delta area.

Mr. Vuong Dinh Hue, member of Politburo, Deputy Prime Minister, Head of the South West Steering Committee, attended and made a speech the conference. Presented at the conference also were former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, former Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong ...

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue spoke at the conference.

According to MONRE, in recent years, the Mekong Delta is threatened by climate change with the extend of sea dyke erosion and salinization.

Especially at the end of 2015 and beginning of 2016, the Mekong Delta has suffered from the largest drought and saline intrusion ever, led to the decrease of growth rate, revenue; reduced agriculture and aquaculture areas with the damage in the first 6 months estimates to be 4,700 billion VND.

Mekong Delta is facing climate change, drought, saltwater intrusion

Spoke at the conference, Minister Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha said: "Climate change obviously impacts on economic, political and security of Vietnam. The issues of freshwater shortages, droughts, saltwater intrusion, coastal erosion is happening on a large scale at intensive levels in Mekong Delta.

Facing the impact of climate change, Mekong Delta is no longer the fertile lands which bring long-term livelihood. We need to change people's mindset to not rely on the preference of the natural; but take advance from wisdom, knowledge and technology for sustainable development ".

At the conference, scientists, leaders of ministries, sectors and localities has discussed focusing on climate change scenarios, sea-level rise affecting water resources of the region and solutions to adapt to climate change; solutions for flooding and saltwater intrusion, etc.

For years, the Mekong Delta has no flood

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue stressed that 2016 weather is extremely unusual with the disappear of large floods; small floods is followed by drought and salinity; upstream discharge and extreme weather to appear very soon.

What will the development scenario of socio-economic of Mekong Delta be like? There has been several scenarios outlined with mainly 2 solutions deployed: the structural and non-structural solutions.

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue suggested to clearly identify climate change situation and discuss actual scenarios of the region to finalize solutions.

PSN