Mekong Delta most vulnerable to flooding because of sea level rise

Ho Chi Minh City has been affected by flooding caused by rising sea levels for years. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – An 80-cm rise in the sea level could leave 31.94 percent of the Mekong Delta permanently flooded, according to the 2020 version of the climate change scenario report recently released by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE).

The risk of flooding caused by sea level rise will be likely to increase on account of a combination of different factors, from geological uplift, subsidence, to tides and storm surges.

Land subsidence has been adversely affecting the Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City which have the lowest elevation in the country.

Data from the MoNRE shows that the Mekong Delta is subsiding by an average 1cm per year, even up to 5.7cm per year in some locations, while the sea level rises around 3 – 5cm a year, said Assoc. Prof, Dr Le Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Research Institute for Climate Change at the Can Tho University.

He suggested that the Mekong Delta and HCM City develop scenarios and its consequences for different levels of sea rise and evaluate the level of resilience associated with the surges. Southern localities must also develop roadmaps for adaption to sea level rise based on different projections and have backup plans in case projections are exceeded, he said./.

VNA