As many as 300 policymakers, experts and scientists from Sub-Mekong
region countries and other nations across the globe are gathering at an
international conference in Ho Chi Minh City to discuss solutions to
some of the most acute challenges facing Vietnam and its delta, as
well as the broader Mekong River system.
Addressing the 2013 World Deltas Dialogues II, which kicked off on May
19, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment
Nguyen Thai Lai said the Mekong Delta region is facing serious
water-related challenges from global warming and climate change, notably
salt water intrusion.
Climate change scenarios in
Vietnam show that sea levels could rise by up to 1 metre by 2100,
covering 40 percent of the Mekong Delta.
These problems are truly challenging the regional ecosystem, the agro-fishery industry and food security, said Lai.
He added that the conference will provide a forum for global
representatives to share their experiences in managing and dealing with
arising challenges in deltas across the world, particularly the Mekong
Delta region.
The Delta 2013 Vietnam is
jointly organised by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment,
America ’s Wetland Foundation (AWF), the Vietnam National
University in Ho Chi Minh City , and the Dutch and US Embassies in
Vietnam .
Delegates at the conference discussed
long-term issues relating to the Mekong Delta’s development and
ecosystem balance, experience in coping with climate change in the
Mississippi Delta and how to adapt to flooding in the Mekong Delta
region and Vietnam ’s coastal areas.
The conference, with the first event held in the US three years ago, will last until May 23.-VNA