An international seminar to seek ways to cope with natural disasters in
the context of climate change in Asian cities took place in Quy Nhon
city, the central province of Binh Dinh on May 9.
The event was co-hosted by the provincial People’s Committee,
Rockefeller Foundation, Institute for Social and Environmental
Transition (ISET), and the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience
Network (ACCCRN).
Thongchai Roachanakanan, senior
architect of the Thai Interior Ministry’s Town and Country Planning and
Public Works, cited the historic flood in Thailand in 2011 as an
example, saying that it was due to deforestation, rapid urban
development and the emergence of industrial zones in eastern Bangkok .
He suggested paying more attention to nature,
adding that natural disasters, including storms and floods, have become
more complicated and unpredictable.
Thai representatives also discussed the interaction between socio-economic development and the law of nature.
Vice Chairwoman of the provincial People’s Committee Tran Thi Thu Ha
said since 2009, Quy Nhon city has been involved in the second stage of
the ACCCRN programme, collaborated with ISET to assess vulnerability,
work out scenarios for climate change and rising sea levels in the city,
and conducted pilot sub-projects in response to climate change under
the auspices of the Rockefeller Foundation.
In
2010, Binh Dinh continued to implement the third stage of the ACCCRN
programme. A coordinator office was set up to regulate, manage and
implement activities regarding climate change in the locality, Ha said.
A series of projects to study the impact of
flooding on urban development in Quy Nhon’s Nhon Binh precinct and
minimise flood risks in areas downstream Ha Thanh and Kon rivers in Quy
Nhon have proved successful.
Representatives from
Da Nang and Can Tho also touched upon climate change impacts, future
trends and Greater Mekong Sub-regional integration.-VNA