Hanoi (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City’s climate and hydrodynamics are extreme and are expected to worsen by2050, according to a report recently released by the Asian Development Bank(ABD).

The report saysHCM City ranks among the among the top 10 cities in the world with populations mostlikely to be severely affected by climate change. By 2050, millions of itscitizens will be at increased risk from regular and extreme climatic eventssuch as floods, droughts and tropical storms.

Storms, stormsurges and tidal flooding are expected to become more severe, it says. The southern hub isaffected by about 10 percent of all storms that hit Vietnam.On these occasions, associated storm surges cause considerable flooding. Damagecosts from natural disasters over the last 10 years have been estimated at 202billion VND (12.6 million USD).

Between 1997 and 2007, most districts in the city were directly affected by naturaldisasters. Most of the damage was concentrated in the vulnerable ruraldistricts of Can Gio and Nha Be, near the mouth of the Dong Nai River.

Projected warmer sea surface temperatures in the East Sea will intensify stormslanding close to HCM City. Tropicalstorms and typhoons are also expected to strike the country’s southern region more frequently and are thusmore likely to hit the city directly.

Rising sea levels will become an important factor,incrementally heightening the effects of storm surges. The rise in sea levels will be likely to hit 26cm for the high-emission scenarioand 24cm for the low-emission scenario – significantly affecting the inland reach of tidal flooding andstorm surges.

The reportadds that climate change hasbeen more rapid than previouslyanticipated, with potentially severe effects on HCM City. But there isstill time to develop appropriate solutions and to adapt.

Detailed adaptation planning is the key to a resilient HCM City. All sectors and areas willhave to consider the impacts of climate change in their development plans, andwill require adaptation plans and guidance.

Balance in adaptation actions is required, withengineering options being complemented by natural system rehabilitation,economic and social policies and programmes, and integrated urban planning toprovide the “one area, one plan” framework for development in the city.

Many of these measures are already being implemented across the city, but they will needto be adjusted, intensified and applied in a coordinated way in the context of climatechange. A comprehensive city adaptation plan should provide the operationalframework for detailed planning and adaptation measures in each sector andlocation./.