Environment

HCM City, Mekong Delta face serious land subsidence

Land subsidence in Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta has ranged from 0.1 to 81 centimetres in the last 10 years, according to the Water Resources Management Department at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
HCM City, Mekong Delta face serious land subsidence ảnh 1Land subsidence in HCM City and the Mekong Delta has ranged from 0.1 to 81 centimetres in the last 10 years. (Photo: VNA)

Can Tho (VNS/VNA) - Land subsidence in Ho Chi Minh City and the MekongDelta has ranged from 0.1 to 81 centimetres in the last 10 years, according tothe Water Resources Management Department at the Ministry of Natural Resourcesand Environment.

Thefigure was reported at a conference on land subsidence in the Mekong Delta,co-organised by the Ministry of Construction and the German Corporation forInternational Cooperation (GIZ) in Can Tho city last week.

NguyenMinh Khuyen, Deputy Director of the Water Resources Management Department,said the department had set up 339 monitoring points for recording landsubsidence in HCM City and the Mekong Delta in the last 10 years. Of these, 306points saw land subsidence.

An Lac wardof Binh Tan district in HCM City saw land subsidence of up to 81cm, Bac Lieu province62.6cm, Soc Trang 53.1cm, and Can Tho 52.4cm.

Expertsat the conference said that overexploitation of underground water, rising sealevels, and substandard drainage systems were the main causes of landsubsidence.

Data fromthe department showed that about 1 million cubic metres of underground waterare exploited every day in the region.

Dr PhilipMinderhoud of Utrecht University in the Netherlands said that land subsidencewould improve if local authorities dealt with the overexploitation ofunderground water. He said that underground water in the Netherlands was usedonly for emergency situations like serious drought caused by climate change,not for daily use.

SepehrEslami Arab of Utrecht University said that land subsidence also caused seriousflooding and tides in the rainy season, as well as salinity in the dry season.

In anattempt to curb water overexploitation, the Ministry of Natural Resources andEnvironment has submitted to the Prime Minister a draft decree to tightencontrol over construction activities.

Theministry will restrict new construction that would exploit underground water,and review and make adjustments for current works.

Theministry will also build new water systems to provide clean water to ruralareas.

TheMekong Delta is home to nearly 18 million people, and is the most importantrice and fishing region in the country. HCM City is the largest city in Vietnam,with a population of more than 8 million./.
VNA
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