Hanoi (VNA) - The sustainable development of the Mekong Delta mustgo in hand with its long-term ability to recover and adapt to themulti-dimensional impacts of climate change, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh DinhDung has said.

Deputy PM Dung on December 19 chaired a meeting in Hanoi on aproject to adjust the construction planning of the Mekong Delta.

The meeting was attended by construction, investment andplanning leaders and people from the agricultural and rural developmentministries and the Government Office.

|The project was planned by the Ministry of Construction’sSouthern Institute for Spatial Planning (SISP) and examined by a Belgium-USconsulting firm.

It aims to attain sustainable development geared towards“green growth” and adaptation to climate change in the Mekong Delta, andhelping the area to reach an important position in the country and SoutheastAsia.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy PM Dung said he appreciatedthe efforts of SISP, the consulting firm, and local and internationalscientists in developing the project.

He said the project had the right approach to issuesconcerning the delta, starting from a comprehensive evaluation of internal andexternal factors, to developing effective scenarios to response and adapt toclimate change.

Apart from visible external factors such as climate change,sea level rise, and impacts from the exploitation of hydropower from the upperMekong River, the negative and positive impacts of internal factors such as theeco-socio development process and investments in construction activities shouldalso be intensively evaluated, Dung said.

“This evaluation will serve as the foundation for furtheranalysis and identification of challenges posed by climate change and thedelta’s internal development,” he said. "Water management is ofutmost importance since water is the core attribute of the Mekong Delta.",he added.

The Deputy PM said the project should provide a comprehensiveevaluation on the storage of both groundwater and surface water and proposeoptions for protecting the area’s water resources.

Other issues that should be focused on were energy,industrial development and minimum height of constructions, he said.
He requested the Ministry of Construction to direct researchparties to collaborate with expert agencies to research, evaluate, and proposedevelopment strategies.

The Mekong Delta has been identified as a key area foragricultural, aquaculture production and fruit growing in the country. Itgreatly contributes to national food security and plays an important role inexporting farm products to international markets.

The region’s population is expected to reach 18-19 million by2030, of which 6.5-7.7 million will live in urban areas, in accordance with theurganisation rate of 35-40 percent and average growth rate of 2.4-3.3 percent.-VNA