Around 8.4 million Vietnamese people or 9.66% of its population will likely suffer from water shortfall by 2050, warned the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB). The ADB attributed that Vietnam is listed among the five hardest-hit countries by climate change. Millions of hectares of land are possible to be inundated while an estimated tens of million will be displaced due to rising sea levels in the coming years. Impacts of climate change is showing clear signs across the country, damaging irrigation works, water supply systems in urban and rural areas, it said, adding that water level of Mekong River rises by 41% in the river upstream during the rainy season while dropping by 24% in the dry season. If sea level rises by 1 meter, 0.3-0.5 million hectares of land in Red River delta region and 0.4 million hectares of land in central coastal provinces as well as 1.5-2 million hectares of land in Mekong Delta region will be submerged, threatening the safety of river and sea dyke systems. Rural residents make up 73% of the country’s population, so the poverty rate is likely to increase 35% from current 21%, experts said. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) is carrying out programs and projects to minimize the impacts of climate change and it has worked with localities to build up socioeconomic development programs regarding to flood prevention and natural disaster mitigation. Vietnam has received over $1.2 billion from international community for 21 projects and programs on climate change and 11 other projects totaling nearly $1.3 billion are under negotiation process. (vietnamplus.vn Mar 13, www.nhandan.org.vn [1] Mar 14)
