Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha speaks at the event (Source: VNA) Gia Lai (VNA) – Representatives from 17cities and provinces of the Mekong Delta and Central Highlands gathered inPleiku city, Gia Lai province, on March 14 to seek ways for sustainabledevelopment of the Mekong Basin.
Five Central Highlands provinces has beenincluded in the Vietnam National Mekong Committee, Minister of NaturalResources and Environment Tran Hong Ha, who is also the committee’s Chairman, toldthe committee’s plenary session, the first of its kind in 2018.
Amid the climate change, the rise and fall of rivers’ water levels in dry andflooding seasons cause serious impacts on the living and economic developmentof regional localities, he said, adding Vietnam has responsibility to work withMekong River upstream nations on consultation on major policies and legalissues while implementing urgent projects and tasks related to the region,particularly the Mekong Delta and Central Highlands.
According to the Committee, the year 2018 isforecast to see variations in terms of hydrometeorology in the Mekong River basin.Climate change and extreme weather patterns will continue posing challenges forsocio-economic development in the Mekong Delta and Central Highlandslocalities.
The Committee needs to review its tasks, study impactsof hydropower projects in the mainstream of the Mekong River, and developadaptive measures for the situation.
Proposals will be submitted to the Government to prepare for the third Summitof the Mekong River Commission, slated for April in Siem Reap,Cambodia.
The Mekong (Cuu Long) Delta region in the lower Mekongbasin has a total area of nearly four million hectares, accounting for 12percent of the nation’s land area and five percent of the Mekong River basin. Itcontributes 50 percent of food, nearly 70 percent of aquatic product export,and 90 percent of rice export of the nation.
The Se San and Srepok Rivers in the CentralHighlands are the two tributaries of the Mekong River. The basin of the tworivers, spanning the five regional provinces, provides water irrigation,industry, and daily life use, contributing to boosting local economicdevelopment and improving the living condition of residents.-VNA
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