The Prime Minister has just issued a decision to approve the planning of water resources for 2021-2030 with a vision to 2050, with a view to tackling drought and pollution and enhancing readiness in all circumstances.
Thai Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan recently endorsed in principle a large-scale plan to tackle flooding and drought across the country that will require a budget of 337.7 billion THB (9.7 billion USD).
In recent years, residents in the Mekong Delta, one of the world’s three largest deltas, have seen growing climate change impacts on local water resources and their livelihoods.
Amid the severe impacts of climate change and sea level rise, especially in the Mekong Delta region, there are three key pillars for Vietnam to base itself on in designing policies to tackle the problem, Dr. Tran Huu Hiep underlined in his recent article run on Saigon Giai phong newspaper.
New initiatives, smart production concepts, new farming models, digitisation, more efficient logistics and a greater focus on circular agriculture and responsibility for the environment will be highlights for this year, said David Whitehead, head of the Vietnam Business Forum (VBF) Agri-Business Working Group at the annual VBF dialogue in Hanoi on February 18.
The Secretariat of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) has called on the six countries along the Mekong to urgently solve the problems of low flows in the region, abnormal changes in water levels, and drought in the context of record low flows in the lower Mekong River basin for the third consecutive year.
To help farmers manage climate-related risks such as flooding, drought and saline intrusion, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has launched the Climate-Smart Maps and Adaption Plans (CS-MAP).
The Mekong Delta region faces the risk of water shortages, drought and saline intrusion due to low water sources from the upper Mekong River and human exploitation of land and forests in the upstream, experts have warned.
Due to impact of the southwestern winds, which cause the Foehn effect, in combination with some other factors, the northern and central regions have recorded intense heat waves with temperatures exceeding the record level in August of previous years.
To cope with drought and saltwater intrusion, the southern province of Ben Tre has come up with a range of different solutions. The province has also encouraged local people to store rain and tap water for production and daily needs.
Realizing the importance of international cooperation in combating desertification, Vietnam ratified the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in 1998 and, as a matter of fact, has implemented many programmes/projects of desertification control and has achieved encouraging success.
The International Mother Earth Day is an occasion for world leaders to take actions to prevent future disasters caused by climate change so that the “common home” of the mankind will become greener.
More than 44,500 ha of forest in the Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau is at high risk of catching fire due to a prolonged hot spell and drought, according to the forest ranger division under the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered concerned ministries and Mekong Delta provinces to proactively respond to saline intrusion and water shortage in the coming months in an official dispatch.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the People’s Committee of the south-central province of Ninh Thuan organised a ceremony on March 15 blocking the flow and accumulating water for the Tan My irrigation system in Phuoc Hoa commune, Bac Ai district.
Cai Lay district in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang is implementing a series of measures for natural disaster prevention in face of complicated weather developments, drought, and saline intrusion during the dry season.
Localities stricken by serious drought, water shortages, and saltwater intrusion will receive funding from the central budget to deal with these issues.
The 2020-2021 winter - spring crop in the Mekong Delta region suffered less from drought and saline intrusion, heard a working session between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the agriculture sectors in 13 regional localities on February 18.
Environment
