HCM City Seeks to Cope with Climate Change

Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment Mar. 18 hold a conference to discuss measures to cope with climate change, the Sai Gon Giai Phong newspaper reported Mar. 19. German experts of the project on researching big cities and representatives of the municipal Climate Change Response Steering Committee attended the event. Addressing the conference, German experts said the city needs to build water reserve areas to deal with serious waterlog issues the city is facing as part of efforts to cope with climate change. Climate change appears in the city with clear signs, including more rains, higher flood-tide and more serious submergences, Director of the department Dao Anh Kiet said. HCM City loses VND1.5 trillion-VND2 trillion due to submergences and floods a year. It now has 100 submerged places with 61 in the inner city. Response to climate change can be successful if it is implemented during urban development process, German experts added. The city, which is listed among the 10 cities worldwide that are the most vulnerable to climate change, plans to spend VND10 trillion ($523.56 million) for anti-flood projects by 2012. Vietnam is listed among five hardest-hit by climate change countries. If sea levels rise by one meter, 38% of the country’s delta and coastal areas will be submerged.