Climate change in the Mekong Delta: shared learnings and dialogues in Can Tho
( 08/08/2014 )
The Vietnamese Mekong River Delta (MRD) is the region through which the Mekong River enters the East Sea of Vietnam. The delta, with a total area of four million hectares, has nearly 18 million inhabitants (about 22% of the entire population of Vietnam) and is host to a range of agricultural land-uses: including rice, fruit trees, annual industrial crops, aquaculture and forestry.
It has now been recognized that the MRD is highly vulnerable to the
impacts of climate change, particularly sea level rise and severe floods
and impacts have and will continue to go far beyond the coping
strategies of local communities. Meanwhile, infrastructure developments
in the MRD supporting the intensification of land and water resources
have created their own trans-boundary environmental impacts. While these
impacts have now been recognized, and have influenced the negotiation
of regional policy agreements and cooperation among Mekong delta
provinces, there is still more that needs to be done.
On the 20th June 2014, the Can Tho Climate Change
Coordination Office (CCCO) hosted a regional workshop, where
participants from 12 provinces across the MRD had the opportunity to
learn about how the CCCO—with the help of the Institute for Social and
Environmental Transition-International (ISET-International)—has built
climate resilience in the region. The CCCO was established in 2011 with
support from the Rockefeller Foundation’s Asian Cities Climate Change
Resilience Network (ACCCRN). The CCCO is responsible for developing and
coordinating all climate change adaptation and mitigation projects in
the city, in collaboration with external agencies and local
stakeholders.
The workshop focused on the importance of better integration of
planning across sectors at the provincial level and the growing need to
incorporate community knowledge and experience into planning.
There were over 70 participants in attendance, including the
Vice-Chairman of Can Tho City People’s Committee, Mr. Dao Anh Dung, who
shared with the group:
“The establishment of the CCCO is one of the biggest successes of Can
Tho city in responding to climate change. With financial support from
the Rockefeller Foundation, and the significant support of
ISET-International and the National Institute for Science and Technology
Policy and Strategy Studies (NISTPASS), CCCO Can Tho actively developed
a plan to adapt to climate change for multiple sectors, at all levels;
implementing intervention projects in various areas such as environment,
water, health, construction to build resilience to climate change in
urban areas”.
Mr Dao Anh Dung, Vice-Chairman of Can Tho City People’s Committee, addresses the workshop
Participants at the workshop were also given the opportunity to
discuss broader issues affecting the MRD. The discussion focused on the
issue of while there are a range of national policies and provincial
guidelines for planning and implementation of climate change adaptation,
these are often carried out separately for different sectors and
provinces. Participants agreed that this makes it difficult to integrate
and resolve particular issues related to regional and inter-regional
problems.
Moving forward, climate change resilience must include the
collaboration and efforts of various sectors and stakeholders. Now more
so than ever, participation and support of shared-learning forums such
as that hosted by CCCO Can Tho is necessary for enabling continuing
dialogues on climate change issues.
http://urbanclimatevn.com - Posted by Huy Nguyen and Danielle Cleal, ISET-Vietnam