Ninh Thuan spends $2mil. on coping with drought

The People’s Committee of central Ninh Thuan province has decided to advance 40 billion VND (1.84 million USD) from the provincial budget to deal with drought impacts.

The money will be allocated to support production and farming, pay for water supply costs and pond dredging, and buy vaccines for cattle to prevent diseases.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Luu Xuan Vinh asked localities to use the aid on right purposes and for right people to prevent wastefulness.

Severe drought is causing a serious lack of water in the province. Drought has damaged over 6,000 hectares of crops and killed hundreds of cattle.

Around 35,100 local residents and 150,000 heads of cattle are facing the lack of water, while rain is forecast not to come until September.

Measures against land erosion in Mekong Delta region discussed

The causes of worsening land erosion along rivers and the coast in the Mekong Delta were analysed at a seminar held in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang on June 6.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Van Thang said among various reasons, impacts from development process in upstream Mekong River, socio-economic development in the Delta and climate change are the major factors causing land erosion in the region.

He said integrated solutions are needed which must combine management of coastal economic development, local residents’ livelihoods and the cultivation of mangrove forests.

According to the deputy minister, the Ministry is cooperating with relevant ministries and foreign organisations to build up counter plans, which include sea dyke and land use planning.

 In addition, science-technology measures will be deployed to efficiently control and prevent the erosion.

Several successful solutions to land erosion were shared at the conference such as a model of wave breaker fence in Soc Trang and Bac Lieu, fortified embankment and protective forest.

Attendees agreed that mangrove forest plantation is a sustainable measure to protect the coastline and dykes.

According to recent scientific research, 38 percent of the land in Mekong Delta region will be engulfed by the sea in 2100 due to climate change. Mangrove forests destruction has led to the drastic salinity intrusion in the region, which seriously affect local life and production.-

More than 1,000 students from the Nha Trang University in central Khanh Hoa province attended a meeting promoting World Oceans Day (June 8) and the 2015 Vietnam Sea and Island Week on June 6.

Addressing the event, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thi Nghia highlighted the role of the education sector in educating the younger generation on environmental protection, the importance of sea and island toward the national security and climate change response.

Those knowledge and information need to become part of the country’s educational system, she noted.

On the occasion, senior officials from the Ministry of Education and Training and local authorities planted trees while the participating students cleaned litter along the Nha Trang seaside.

A day earlier, a similar meeting gathering more than 1,000 locals took place in central Quang Tri province, which is home to a 75-kilometre coastline.

As part of the provincial response to the national week, Quang Tri will launch a photo exhibition proving Vietnam’s sovereignty over Truong Sa and Hoang Sa archipelagos, and a rubbish collecting campaign along the beach.

Experience on climate change adaptation via broadcasting shared

A workshop sharing experience on the adapting climate change through radio series was held in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang on June 5.

The event was co-organised by the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the non-governmental organisation Oxfam.

Since February 2014, Oxfam has provided 4.2 billion VND (195,000 USD) for the three Mekong Delta provinces of Tien Giang, Ben Tre, and Tra Vinh to broadcast the series on local radio stations.

The series aims to raise public awareness of climate change adaptation, providing local people with fundamental knowledge on the issue.

According to a survey implemented in Tien Giang’s Go Cong Tay and Tan Phu Dong districts, about 77 percent of the community got information about climate change adaption from radios at the commune and district levels.

They also appreciated information on environmental protection, weather forecasts, rising sea levels and cattle-breeding technologies.-