Rising sea levels and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta are becoming alarming, said Prof. David Dapice, Senior Economist, Vietnam and Myanmar Programme, Harvard Kennedy School, at a meeting with leaders of Can Tho city on October 8.
The Mekong Delta, the country’s rice granary, will see summer – autumn rice output increase by 150,000 tonnes this year, the Plant Cultivation Department has estimated.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has urged central localities to redouble efforts to cope with the prolonged heat wave, drought and saltwater intrusion in the region.
The quality of tap water in Ho Chi Minh City is being closely monitored by production and distribution units as well as independent agencies such as the city’s Preventive Medicine Centre and district-level preventive health centres.
Various solutions for sustainable water management were raised at the Water Business Dialogues held by the Netherlands Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City on April 11.
Saltwater has intruded into many coastal areas in the Mekong Delta, causing a shortage of water for households and agricultural production.
The Netherlands is keen on cooperating with the Mekong Delta region and Vietnam in general in boosting commercial agriculture growth in a manner beneficial to both humans and the environment, stated Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Elsbeth Akkerman on November 9.
Some 120,138 ha of rice fields affected by a lack of water and saltwater intrusion in the southern region will be used to grow other crops in 2018, according to the Department of Crop Production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
The Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang is working on measures to cope with saltwater intrusion, according to the provincial Irrigation Sub-Department.
Experts recommended solutions to protect Ho Chi Minh City’s groundwater sources and public health at a dialogue on December 7.
Ho Chi Minh City wants to work with Kirloskar Brothers Limited from India in fields of mutual concern, especially in urban flood control and solutions to saltwater intrusion, said Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Tran Vinh Tuyen.
Water pumping stations in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta provide more than 985,000 cubic metres daily to urban areas, meeting 89 percent of the need, the Ministry of Construction has said.
A workshop was held in Can Tho city on January 10 to seek measures to conserve water for agriculture and daily use in the Mekong Delta given the severe drought and saltwater intrusion.
GSO General Director Nguyen Bich Lam said 2016 was a successful year in controlling inflation amidst rebounding prices of some essential goods, as the CPI in December increased by 4.74% from a year earlier, lower than the 5% target set by the National Assembly.
The Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre has prioritised measures to adapt to climate change, a local senior official has said.
Vietnam’s National Assembly, the legislative body, on November 7 passed a resolution targeting economic growth of 6.7% for 2017, higher than the estimate for this year.
Several coastal areas in Vietnam are likely to become the victims of climate change and be under water by the end of this century, according to Climate Change and Sea Level Rise Scenarios for Vietnam released by Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
Ho Chi Minh City wants to learn from Japan’s experience in addressing environmental pollution in urban areas, according to a Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee.
The southernmost province of Ca Mau will implement 10 emergency projects to prevent and surmount the consequences of drought and saline intrusion, according to the provincial People’s Committee.
As many as 74,000 families affected by drought and saltwater intrusion in 2016 have received support from the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRCS), heard a conference in Hanoi on September 30.
