Japan, Vietnam Sign $2M Deal to Cope with Climate Change in Mekong Delta

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Southern of Institute for Water Resources Planning April 28 signed a $2-million agreement on dealing with impacts of climate change in the Mekong Delta region until 2013. The project is aimed to work out measures for sustainable agriculture and rural development amid the climate change in the regional coastal areas, state media reported April 29. The project will focus on forecasting and assessing the impacts of climate change in the 2020-2025 period as well as building overall plan on climate change adaptation. It will also help improve capacity of the institute in making such plan and implement agriculture and rural development projects. Mekong Delta is listed among three delta regions worldwide to be hardest hit by climate change because of 93% of the 840-kilometre coast below sea level and an interlacing network of canals, experts said. Up to 38% of the region’s areas are likely to be inundated for six to eight months yearly by 2020 due to climate change, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Dao Xuan Hoc warned, adding that 90% of the delta may suffer from salt intrusion and around 8.5 million locals could become homeless. The Mekong Delta is the largest rice granary and aquaculture region in Vietnam, making up 50% of the country’s rice output and 52% of the aquatic product volume. (Thoi Bao Kinh Te Viet Nam – Vietnam Economic Times April 29 p3)