Japan is going to help the Mekong Delta adapt to the effects of climate change as part of a non-refundable US$2million technical co-operation project that was signed Thursday in Ha Noi between Director of the Southern Institute of Water Resource Planning Nguyen Ngoc Anh and Chief representative of the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) in Viet Nam Tsuno Motonori.
“The project will not only suggest scientifically-based solutions, but also consider the dramatic socio-economical developments that are taking place in the region,” said Motonori.
“Climate change issues in the Mekong Delta are not only a problem of the future, they are a problem now. We will attempt to propose tangible projects, utilising both structural and non-structural measures that will directly benefit the people of the region,” he added.
The two-year project will look at climate change adaptation solutions for agricultural and rural development in the coastal areas of the Mekong Delta. It will conduct climate change mid to long term (2020-2050) impact predictions and assessment and develop a Climate Change Adaptation Master Plan, in which prioritised adaptation options will be identified.
The project will also help the Institute enhance its capacity in climate change adaptation planning and in implementing agricultural and rural development projects.
The Mekong Delta is one of three deltas throughout the world that are most vulnerable to climate change. The project plans to tackle issues such as salt water intrusion, coastal erosion, fresh water security and agricultural planning, which are of the highest concern to Viet Nam.
