Policy makers in southern Long An province have been provided with alternative ways to respond to climate change and its related threats under a two year pilot project.
The 385,000 EURO (495,000 USD) project “participation in Climate Adaptation” offered the officials measures to fight floods, saltwater intrusion, drought and water pollution.
Co-funded by the Dutch government, Long An province, and the International Water Governance Centre, the project covered pilot areas in the southern coastal districts of Can Duoc, Can Guoc, Chau Thanh, and Tan Tru, where floods from upstream combined with high tides from the East Sea (via the Soai Rap estuary) can lead to severe inundation.
Dr. Patrick Untjens, Director for the Water partner Foundation and the project leader, said the strategy offers a consensus- based mixture of measures. These include completing and upgrading the dyke systems and creating more room for rivers and nature to increase their resilience and the water discharge capacity of the Vam Co River Basin as a whole.
It also provides a variety of measures for optimising water supplies, including rain-water collection, sustainable groundwater exploitation, water saving technology in irrigation, and sewage and wastewater treatment.
The project is the first of its kind in Vietnam to introduce a comprehensive approach for full-scale and meaningful participation by relevant stakeholders at different levels for developing a climate change adaptation strategy.-VNA
