Vietnam’s Mekong Delta is one of the world’s most at-risk areas from the effects of climate change, posing challenges both for its environment and population in years to come. Photos credit: Luke Duggleby
Tag: sea water intrusion
Mekong Delta sinks into the sea
The Mekong Delta is sinking 2.5cm every year because of ground water extraction and unreasonable planning and constructions on the surface.
Vietnam’s lowlands to go under with climate change, bank report says
When it comes to climate change, Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City is one of the world’s 10 most vulnerable cities.
As a result, around 70 per cent of its urban area may experience severe flooding in coming decades, according to a recent Asian Development Bank report.
The bank’s assessment is based on the United Nations’ projections of a 26-centimetre sea level rise by 2050.
Local authorities are taking the threat seriously, recently announcing flood-prevention measures of almost $US7 billion ($9 billion) over the next five years.
But the southern economic powerhouse, formerly Saigon and one of the fastest growing and most polluted cities in the country, is not the only Vietnamese centre at risk.
About 60 per cent of the country’s urban areas are a mere 1.5 metres above sea level and extreme climate events are increasing and widespread.