LookAtVietnam – The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta region could be hit by major storms in the future as a result of climate change, and local authorities must be prepared for emergency evacuations, speakers at a conference said this week.

The Cuu Long Delta region could be hit by major storms in the future as a result of climate change.

Bui Minh Tang, director of the central Meteorology and Hydrology Forecasting Centre, said this year about 10 storms and tropical low-pressure systems on the East Sea would occur, of which six or seven could hit Viet Nam.

He said authorities of Mekong Delta provinces and weather officials were worried that the storms would move in an unpredictable way at high speeds.

Tang said that many residents of the Delta remained indifferent to the possibility of severe storms, even though the region could be struck by major storms in the future due to global climate change.

Nguyen Huu Loi, deputy chairman of Can Tho City People’s Committee, said Can Tho had been heavily affected by climate change in recent years.

Since 2004, the city’s rivers have had strong tides and risen by 4 cm a year, causing heavy flooding in the inner city.

Nguyen Xuan Hong, vice chairman of Ca Mau Provincial People’s Committee, said in 2008 the province’s 1,000 hectares of rice fields and shrimp farms had been damaged as a result of flooding triggered by strong tides.

In the rainy season last year, 16 people in the province were killed and 28 injured and four still remain missing. Strong winds and storms also sank 43 vessels.

Hong said provincial authorities must prepare for the possible evacuation of residents who live in flood-prone areas and reinforce coastal dykes and river embankments.

Because evacuations had often been hindered by the lack of support of local residents, Hong said it was imperative to raise public awareness of the danger caused by storms and floods.

Residents have often refused to leave, saying they could not make a living in a new resettlement area.

Provincial authorities in the Mekong Delta have proposed that local areas build storm shelters for local residents.

Hong also proposed that the Government provide Ca Mau with rescue equipment, help the province build storm shelters for people and vessels, and strengthen coastal dykes.

Speaking at the conference, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat said he agreed with the proposal to upgrade the coastal dyke system from central Quang Ngai to southern Kien Giang provinces to cope with climate change and rising sea levels.

He said storm shelters should also be built for vessels.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News