Hundreds of hectares of forests in the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien, which were blanketed under ice and snow in the strongest cold spell in years in late January, are now at high fire.
More than 13,000 farming households in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh have suffered from a loss of nearly 5 billion VND (225,000 USD) due to prolonged drought and saltwater infiltration.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung requested fighting saltwater intrusion as a key political task during a conference in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on March 7.
Mainstream hydropower projects on the Mekong River caused a loss of 5.2 trillion (231 million USD) in seafood and agriculture output to the Mekong Delta.
Vietnam will focus on dealing with climate change impacts on human rights and the rights of people with disabilities in 2016 – the last year of the country’s UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) membership
Head of Vietnam’s Permanent Mission to the UN and other international organisations Nguyen Trung Thanh moderated a panel discussion on climate change and the right to health.
Local people in the southernmost coastal province of Ca Mau have created 500 embankments to shield their farming fields from saltwater in an effort to deal with unprecedented severe saline intrusion.
Drought and saltwater intrusion are predicted to continue damaging parts of the south central, Central Highlands and southern regions this month due to the El Nino impacts.
The Netherlands is ready to share its experience in countering severe saltwater intrusion with Vietnam in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular, Dutch Ambassador Nienke Trooster said.
The Government considers the prevention of drought and saltwater intrusion its urgent task, said deputy head of the Government Office Nguyen Khac Dinh at a regular Cabinet press conference on Feb 29.
More than 43,000ha of cajuput trees in Ca Mau province's U Minh Ha forest face the threat of forest fires as prolonged drought has caused water levels to decline rapidly.
Environment
