VietNamNet Bridge – Nine out of the 13 Mekong Delta provinces will get a package of US$ 384 million for climate change response.

Illustrative image -- File photo

The aforesaid localities included An Giang, Dong Thap, Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Vinh Long, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, and Kien Giang.

The project on general climate change response and sustainable livelihood will last until 2020.

Out of the total budget, the World Bank (WB) contributed US$ 310 million. The Vietnamese side provided US$ 72.547 million of responding budget. Private capital was US$ 2.432 million.

The Central Project Office (CPO) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is the project owner.

The project aims to strengthen planning capacity in response to climate change; better management of land and water resources; ensure means of subsistence for local residents in the nine provinces.

People in An Giang, Kien Giang, and Dong Thap provinces will benefit from sub projects worth nearly VND 2,300 billion to improve flood resistant competence in response to climate change, water management in upper reaches, and means of subsistence.

Meanwhile, local residents in Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Vinh Long, and Soc Trang will be supported on coastal infrastructure development, water control, and transformation of production in response to climate change.

Ca Mau, Kien GIang, and Bac Lieu will get over VND 2,300 billion of aid to build infrastructure projects to prevent coastal erosion and landslides; provide clean water for shrimp cultivation; develop ecological forest; and improve means of subsistence.

The Steering Committee for the Southwest Region reported that the dry season made at least 290,000 households in the Mekong Delta region suffer from water shortage; have 254,000 hectares of production land damaged and VND 15,000 billion lost.

VGP