Netherlands to Assist Vietnam City in Climate Change Response

Netherlands is willing to share experiences and professional knowledge as well as provide technical supports to assist Vietnam’s southern economic hub of Ho Chi Minh City in climate change and water management solutions in the coming years. Joop Atsma, Dutch State Secretary for Infrastructure and Environment made the announcement at a conference on the issues in HCMC City on March 31, as part of a four-day visit by Crown Prince of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander and Dutch businesses. Joop Atsma emphasized the necessity to address flooding and improve water resources for the city as it is one of the top 10 cities in the world to be hardest hit by climate change and rising sea level. The southern metropolis is focusing all resources on building plans for climate change adaptation and water management, with the aim to daily supply 2.3 million cu.m of clean water by end-2015, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Trung Tin said. Climate change is showing clear signs in the city, with urban flooding, degraded water quality and increased salinity, he attributed, inserting that HCM City will be increasingly flooded in the coming years, with about two-thirds of its total area to be regularly inundated in the next years. The city, however, is yet to develop specific, long-term and sustainable plans to cope with climate change, he noted, hoping that it will learn from the valuable experiences of the Dutch side. (vietnamplus.vn Mar 31)