Measures to cope with rising sea levels in Mekong Delta

VOV News 12 Jun 10;

The Institute of Water Resources and Environment (IWRE) has put forth a series of measures to help Mekong Delta provinces deal with climate change, rising sea levels and floods.

At a seminar on an overall plan for Mekong Delta given of climate change and rising sea levels held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) in Hanoi on June 11, IWRE representatives pointed out three major solutions, including upgrading and linking tide control and salinity prevention systems with flood mitigation and drainage systems to protect production.

Regional localities should complete dyke works to ensure partial flood control as well as strengthen flood drainage and control works through the lower sections of the Tien and Vam Co Rivers, they suggested.

According to MARD Deputy Minister Dao Xuan Hoc, the Mekong Delta is a region predicted to be hardest hit by climate change and rising sea levels. Once it happens, the region’s flood drainage will face more difficulties, especially for the Long Xuyen Quadrangle and the southwest part of the Hau River.

A MARD research shows that climate change has prolonged flooding time in the Mekong Delta by 1-2 months, greatly affecting agricultural production, particularly rice growing, in the region.

The Mekong Delta is known as Vietnam’s largest granary and seafood depot with its rice and seafood outputs accounting for 53 percent and 60 percent of the country’s totals respectively.