Project to build resilience, sustainable settlement in Mekong Delta

A plan for the implementation of a project on “Enhancing the resilience inclusive and sustainable eco-human settlement development through small-scale infrastructure interventions in the coastal regions of the in Mekong Delta” was discussed at a Hanoi meeting on December 15.

The event was held by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.

The project aims to help the poor and vulnerable communes in the Mekong Delta build resilience and adapt to climate change.

Inhabited by close to 20 million people, the Mekong Delta is Vietnam’s largest producer of agricultural and aquatic products, contributing considerably to the country’s food productivity and agricultural exports. The region, however, is among the hardest hit by climate change.

The government has adopted various policies to support affected cities and provinces in the Mekong Delta, particularly Resolution 120/NQ-CP on Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Development of the Mekong Delta of Vietnam dated November 17, 2017.

To enforce the resolution, the Ministry of Environment and Rural Resources has coordinated with the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) to build the 6.4-million-USD project to be implemented with the Adaption Fund’s non-refundable aid in the period of 2020 – 2030 in the Mekong Delta provinces of Tra Vinh and Bac Lieu.

Delegates to the meeting suggested reviewing estimated costs of each of the four components of the project and increasing budget for developing local infrastructure. They also proposed issuing a guidebook for implementing the project at local level.

Deputy Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Nguyen Thi Phuong Hoa requested relevant units to take note of the comments while urging beneficiary provinces to complete preparatory steps for the project to start on schedule.