HCM City adjusts urban development program

The HCM City development program released in 2010 did not include the effects of high tides, rainfall and saline intrusion on the Dong Nai and Sai Gon Rivers.

In the last three years, HCM City has been struggling with saline intrusion and low rainfall. The supply of raw water has been seriously affected. The southern part of the city has also faced high tides and floods.

According to the HCMC Steering Center of the Urban Flood Control Program (SCFC), extreme weather, especially abnormally heavy rain, has been increasingly frequent in HCMC as a result of climate change.
 
Ly Khanh Tam Thao from the HCM City Planning and Architecture Department said that HCM City has to adjust the program not only to make it fit the plan for the key southern economic region, but also to ensure the development of the city in the context of climate change.

Scientists have found that factors mentioned in the approved program have changed. The plan will be amended and experts will be consulted before the city drafts a new development program and submits to the government for approval.

According to Thao, in the years from 2006, when the city began preparing for the program, to 2010, when the program was approved, Vietnam did not release a national climate change scenario. That is why the approved program did not consider the impact of rising sea levels and other influences. 

According to the national climate change scenario released by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MONRE) in 2016, if the sea water level rises by 100 cm and the city doesn’t have proper solutions to deal with it, 17.84 percent of the city’s total area would be inundated.

When reconsidering the urban development program, programmers will thoroughly analyze the scenario and find the most vulnerable areas and set reasonable solutions.

Environmental experts commented that climate change, plus rapid urbanization and population increase, have worsened flooding. 

The average temperature has risen in the city as more houses and construction works have been built. Programmers also need to pay more attention to green space, experts say.

A report showed that the climate change will affect many localities in Vietnam. The country would lose around 10 percent of GDP due to climate change, with 10-12 percent of its population affected.

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