VietNamNet Bridge – The north-central region needs VND109 trillion (US$5.1 billion) to upgrade its water resources system by 2050 in response to rising sea levels and other effects of climate change.


Residents of Hung Chinh Commune in the north-central province of Nghe An's Hung Nguyen District upgrade irrigation works. The region needs to upgrade its irrigation and flood control works to cope with emerging climate change impacts. (Photo: VNS)
Speaking at a regional irrigation planning conference in Ha Noi on Tuesday, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Dao Xuan Hoc said the region, one of the nation's key economic zones, had suffered from flood, droughts and salt intrusion.


He said that new plans were needed to take these effects into account, including the upgrading of reservoirs.


Hoc added that the region has seen abnormal weather changes that were blamed on the El Nino and La Nina phenomena.

In addition, more than 32,200ha of the region, including areas north of Ma River, the lower Buoi River, and southern stretches of Chu River had been submerged.


Hoc said that VND81.1 trillion ($3.8 billion) would be used to prepare a new regional approach to the problem from 2011-20, including VND3.7 trillion ($176 billion) for providing fresh water, VND21.4 trillion ($1.02 billion) for irrigation works, VND4.1 trillion ($195 million) for drainage systems and VND19.7 trillion ($940 million) for flood prevention.


Bui Nam Sach, head of MARD's Institute for Water Resources Planning, said water resources planning in every province was now based on research on the effects of climate changes.


He said that along Ma River, four reservoirs, the Cua Dat, Hua Na, Trung Son and Pa Ma, should be built to stop salt encroachment and floods as well as supplying water to more than 90,000ha of farm land, industry and a 1,120MW hydro-power plant.


On Ca River, the upgrade would improve 981 irrigation works to service 331,000ha of paddy fields and aquatic farms.

On Gianh River, up to 83 irrigation works would also be built while another 44 on Nhat Le River would be upgraded.


Some sections of the region's 142-km dyke system would be repaired and strengthened. The $5.1 billion upgrade would also be used to build 23km of dykes from Xuan Dan to Dong Ken in central Ha Tinh Province's Nghi Xuan District.


The North Central region has 1,854 homes vulnerable to floods. They should be moved to high ground with total investment of VND37 billion ($1.7 million).


About VND572 billion ($27.2 million) is also needed to households that have been regularly submerged to build houses and public works for flood prevention.


It is forecast that climate change will lift the sea level by 30 centimetres by 2050.


VietNamNet/Viet Nam News