Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Can Tho (VNA) - The Indian Government will support sevenwater management projects in the Mekong Delta provinces of Ben Tre, Hau Giang,Kien Giang, and Tien Giang with non-refundable aid of 350,000 USD.
At a ceremony in the Delta’s Can Tho city on September 23, representatives from the IndianConsulate General in HCM City and the localities signed seven memoranda of understanding for the projects, each worth 50,000 USD.
They are part of 26 quick-impact projects funded by India in 22Vietnamese cities and provinces, 13 of which have been completed while 12others will be launched during the 2020-2021 fiscal year.
Speaking at the event, Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Pranay Verma said the traditionalrelationship between the two nations is a successful model in terms of institutionalsupport and capacity improvement in various fields over the past years.
Deputy head of the Foreign Ministry’s General Economic Department PhamThi Anh said the activity is a symbol of the enduring friendship among memberstates of the Mekong - Ganga Cooperation (MGC) as well as between Vietnam andIndia.
The Mekong Delta has been facing drought and saltwater intrusion at recordlevels. Rainfall this year is 30-40 percent lower than previous averages and isforecast to remain low in the future.
The MGC is an initiative by six countries: India and the fiveASEAN countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Launched in2000, it is one of the longest-standing sub-regional cooperation mechanisms inthe Mekong Delta, with the goal of enhancing solidarity and friendship amongnations and promoting trade and economic development to contribute to improvingpeople’s lives in the Mekong and Ganga River basins./.
