In the afternoon on Thursday 2 July 2020, the Agreement Signing Ceremony of the project “Strengthening Communication Capacity for Better Climate Resilience in the Mekong River Delta” was held at Cuu Long Hotel, My Tho city, Tien Giang province with the aim to start the project.
The project is funded by the Embassy of Finland in Hanoi, through the Fund for Local Cooperation (FLC), and is implemented by the Center for Environment and Community Assets Development (CECAD).
The Agreement Signing Ceremony was organized with the participation of:
On behalf of the Embassy of Finland in Vietnam:
- His Excellency Ambassador of Finland to Vietnam, Mr. Kari Kahiluoto,
- Mr. Matti Tervo – Counsellor of the Embassy of Finland in Vietnam;
On behalf of the Center for Environment and Community Assets Development, Ms. Le Thi Van Hue – The Deputy Director;
On behalf of Tien Giang province:
- Ms. Duong Thi Hong Lam – Tien Giang Provincial People’s Committee
- Mr. Pham Thanh Nha – the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tien Giang province
- Ms. Duong Thi Hong Gam- Head of International Cooperation Department – the Foreign Affairs Department of Tien Giang Province
On behalf of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Irrigation Departments of the other 4 provinces:
- Mr. Nguyễn Thanh Tùng – The Irrigation Sub-Department of Cà Mau
- Mr. Nguyễn Ngọc Nại – the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Kiên Giang
- Mr. Nguyễn Huỳnh Trung – the Irrigation Sub-Department of Kiên Giang
- Mr. Huỳnh Văn Nam – the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Long An
- Ms. Bùi Thị Thùy Trinh – Rural development and Irrigation Department of Long An.
- Mr. Nguyễn Quang Thương – the Irrigation Sub-Department of Ben Tre;
The central and local Press agencies.
The Mekong River Delta, which is located in the south of Vietnam, has the highest agricultural production, not only in Vietnam but also in Southeast Asia. This area is also one of the key economic regions of Vietnam that has high population density and also high demand for water resources for domestic and production purposes. However, in the recent years, people living in the Mekong River Delta have frequently been affected by drought and saline intrusion due to climate change and increasing use of the Mekong River water by the upstream countries. According to the report from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in 2020, 80,000 households in the Mekong River Delta suffered from shortage of freshwater and thousands of hectares of rice and vegetation died due to the salinization. Among provinces in the region, Tien Giang is one of the provinces that has been most affected by the saline intrusion. Located at the mouth of the Mekong River, the area is negatively affected by climate change, saline intrusion and lack of water resources in the eastern part of the province – Go Cong Dong and Tan Phu Dong districts. This is due to its location at the end of the freshwater sources and adjacent to the saline watershed. On 31/12/2019, the People’s Committee of Tien Giang province issued Decision No.4744/QD-UBND announcing the situation of saline intrusion alert at the highest level for the province.
The project “Strengthening Communication Capacity for Better Climate Resilience in Mekong River Delta” supports the aims of the Government of Vietnam’s Resolution No. 120/NQ-CP and the special attention on sustainability issues in the Mekong region. It addresses the most urgent needs and important issues of the Mekong River Delta provinces.
The project aims to improve the communication capacities of relevant agencies and raise awareness of local communities on the saline intrusion in the region for their active participation for better climate resilience. Pilot activities on models of response to saline intrusion will be implemented in Tien Giang, one of the most affected provinces to develop the saline intrusion monitoring systems and enhance the early warning and forecast networks for the information management; as well as to support local communities to proactively collect and store water for domestic use and production activities, ensuring the water security in the region. Meanwhile, effective communication programs will be developed to raise awareness of local communities in the Mekong River Delta on severe saline water intrusion and involve their active participation in initiating and implementing activities for climate resilience.
Lan Anh