Vietnam - Nearly two-thirds of city to go under water by 2050

HCMC – Nearly two-thirds of HCMC’s surface will be regularly submerged by flooding in 2050 due to climate change if no drastic preventative measures are taken, said the city’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

The department informed a conference held in the city on Tuesday that some 154 wards and communes in HCMC are currently prone to floods, and by 2050, the number will increase to 177, 61% of the entire city area.

The average rainfall in HCMC in 1993-2007 increased by 76 mm, said Nguyen Van Phuoc, deputy director of the department.

More rain is forecast in the city in the coming time as rainfalls in the dry season tend to be higher than in the rainy season. Temperatures are 0.7 degree Celsius higher than the average in the last two decades.

It is predicted that more tropical storms will strike the southern region in the future, including the city, which is among the world’s ten cities most vulnerable to flooding.

The city’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment has mapped out a scenario for climate change adaptation in the 2011-2015 period. A map identifying flood-prone locations has also been completed recently.

Enrico Moens, director of the Vietnam-Holland Project on climate change adaptation, noted at Tuesday’s conference that HCMC and Rotterdam are facing similar challenges caused by climate change. However, HCMC requires specific methods in response to the situation given the difference in socio-economic conditions, he said.

Local government aims to outline climate change adaptation projects in detail in coordination with the Dutch specialists.

The two sides will sign a memorandum of understanding in terms of climate change responses when the mayor of Holland’s Rotterdam visits the city in the near future.

Le Anh - The Saigon Times Daily

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