The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development held a workshop in
Hanoi on September 17 to discuss ways of minimising the impact of
climate change in the Mekong Delta region.
At
the event, World Bank (WB) coordinator Anjali Acharya said that Vietnam
faces many different scenarios resulting from changes in the global
climate. She stressed the importance of the Mekong Delta preparing for
the possible impacts without delay by improving infrastructure, reducing
poverty and securing the upper Mekong River.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Van Thong
said Vietnam needs the WB’s support to review all relevant studies and
agree on an appropriate strategy for the Mekong Delta region, as there
is currently no master study on the area.
Meanwhile, Deputy Director of the Science and Technology Department
under the Ministry Dinh Vu Thanh noted that activities to reduce climate
change impacts should be combined with upgrades that serve agricultural
and rural development in the region.
Vietnam is
assessed as one of the nations gravely affected by climate change.
According to the latest scenario, by the late 21st century, the country
will see an average temperature increasing 2.1 to 3.3 degrees Celsius
and sea level rising one metre from the 1980-1990 period.
Sea level rise would likely flood 40 percent of land area in the
Mekong Delta, 11 percent of the Red River area and 3 percent of other
coastal provinces. It means that about 12 percent of the population
would be affected directly and about 10 percent of GDP would be lost.
At its seventh session, the 11th Party Central
Committee has approved a resolution on responding to climate change,
managing natural resources and protecting the environment.-VNA