Mekong Delta urban areas attempt to respond to climate change. Photo: VNA Climate change is posing agreat challenge to the Mekong Delta region, especially erosion,landslides, flooding, and pollution.
Vice Director of theDepartment of the Urban Development under the Ministry of Construction Tran ThiLan Anh said that Vietnam ranks 23th out of the 30 countries that are hardest hitby climate change, and the Mekong Delta is one of the three floodplains withthe largest land loss risk in the world.
It is forecasted thatby the end of the 21st century, the sea level will rise by 0.5 - 1 m, affectingabout 39% of the area and 35% of the population of the Mekong Delta. All the 13 provinces and city in the region are at risk of flooding, whichis higher in some large and medium urban areas such as Rach Gia and Ha Tiencities in Kien Giang province, Ca Mau city in Ca Mau province, Soc Trang cityin Soc Trang province, Vi Thanh city in Hau Giang province, and Can Tho city,Anh said.
Currently, theurbanisation rate of the Mekong Delta is 31.16%, up 4.6% from 2015. Under anapproved regional planning for the 2021-2030 period with a vision to 2050, theurban system of the region will be constructed with suitable distribution alongthe major economic corridors.
Accordingly, Can Thocity, a centrally-run first-tier urban area, is defined as a centre ofadministration, services, commerce, health care, education - training, science -technology, culture, tourism and processing industry of the whole region.
Rach Gia city will bedeveloped into a hub of marine economy, trade and service in the western coastalarea of the Mekong Delta, and a centre of for aquatic farming, exploitation andexport. Ca Mau city will be the centre of the coastal sub-region in the area of the Ca Mau Peninsula, and a national centre of energy and petroleum services aswell as ecotourism services.
Dredging canals to prevent saltwater, store fresh water in Vi Thuy district, Hau Giang province. Photo: VNA The city is implementing a number of projects in water drainage and wastewatertreatment, climate change response and adaptation, while actively engaging in internationalorganisations and networks to learn initiatives and solutions in environmentalprotection and climate change response.
Meanwhile, ViceChairman of the People’s Committee of Kien Giang Le Quoc Anh said that as partof the efforts to develop Vietnam’s urban areas with adaptation to climate change impactsin the 2021-2030 period, the locality is rolling out measures and solutionssuch as making surveys and evaluation of climate change impacts to existing andplanned urban systems in the 2021-2030 period, thus calculating the capacityand level of adaptation, seeking response solutions and setting up databaseand risk alerting map system.
Kien Giang is alsobuilding a flood controlling system in urban areas, constructing dykesystem, and piloting the development of green urban areas, he said./.
Meanwhile, ViceChairman of the People’s Committee of Kien Giang Le Quoc Anh said that as partof the efforts to develop Vietnam’s urban areas with adaptation to climate change impactsin the 2021-2030 period, the locality is rolling out measures and solutionssuch as making surveys and evaluation of climate change impacts to existing andplanned urban systems in the 2021-2030 period, thus calculating the capacityand level of adaptation, seeking response solutions and setting up databaseand risk alerting map system.
Kien Giang is alsobuilding a flood controlling system in urban areas, constructing dykesystem, and piloting the development of green urban areas, he said./.
VNA
