Coping with Climate Change in the Mekong Delta

Sea level rises will cause many existing freshwater plains areas to become brackish water areas while changing the hydrographical behavior of the river current, putting pressure on 90 percent of all flooded areas. It is predicted that in the next several decades, sea level rises will cause flooding in the vast majority of the Mekong Delta that is already flooded annually. This will lead to a big loss in agricultural land. Declining water resources will severely affect agricultural production and the fishery industry. Salinity in cultivated areas will become more and more serious in the coastal provinces of Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Soc Trang, Tra Vinh, Ben Tre, Tien Giang and Long An and it will cause freshwater shortages in the region. The warming up of the earth affects natural ecological systems, changes temperature margins of continental and marine eco-systems as well as the structure of fauna and flora in a number of regions. Climate change will affect the marine ecological system.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Developments report says that if sea level is one meter higher, about 70 percent of land in the Mekong Delta will be salinized, two million hectares of rice cultivation land will be lost and many localities will be seriously flooded. Specifically, Ben Tre province will probably lose 1,131 square kilometers (more than 50 percent of the provinces total area), Long An will likely lose 2,169sq.km (almost 50 percent), Tra Vinh 1,021sq.km (almost 46 percent), Soc Trang 1,425sq.km (almost 44 percent) and Vinh Long 606sq.km (almost 40 percent). According to this scenario, the flooding period in the Mekong Delta can last from four to five months, while 38 percent of the deltas area could be flooded and 90 percent of the deltas area can be salinized.

In general, socioeconomic development in the Mekong Delta will be affected in different aspects. Regarding agricultural production, if no new salinity tolerance varieties are created, the cultivation of rice and other crops in the delta will decrease. Despite the marine economys rapid growth, it will probably not cover losses associated with this decrease. Meanwhile, it will be more difficult to attract investment for trade and industrial sectors.

Infrastructure construction will become more expensive. There will be changes in population settlement, urban areas and economic centers in the Mekong Delta and its environs. These changes will affect the deltas sustainable development if they are not solved. The lives of tens of millions of people will be affected, while the delta will encounter major challenges in fulfilling its role as Vietnams granary, which makes a great contribution to the countrys export revenue and state budget. A number of national defense and security problems, including food security, could have to be considered.

The following ideas were formed to cope with and minimize the negative impact of climate change in the Mekong Delta.

Regarding agriculture, it is necessary to re-plan land use in the delta towards coping with climate change, choose animal and plant varieties that are suitable to the new, more severe climate conditions, prepare for controlling pest epidemics that are caused by climate change, choose an appropriate cultivation time to avoid adverse weather changes, construct reservoirs to contain fresh water, decree flooding in the rainy season and control drought and salinity in the dry season, and prepare proper aquaculture and seafood catching plans.

Climate change will seriously affect socioeconomic forms and the public health. It is important to educate the community about climate change and make the community confident, not too scared, nor subjective and not make the wrong decisions while confronting climate change. Planning residential areas inside and outside dikes and flooded areas and removing residents from areas where high dangers exist to areas where low dangers exist are also necessary.

Vietnam needs to work with the Mekong River Commission (MRC) on the principle of water resource equality and have close cooperative relations with neighboring countries including Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Brunei to protect marine and island areas. It is necessary to be highly consistent in regional steering and increase close cooperation between the 13 Mekong Delta provinces.

Climate change is more and more seriously affecting the Mekong Delta where the biggest agricultural land area in Vietnam is found. Sea level rises, drought and salinity are tending to increase. It is time to find solutions to deal with the effects caused by climate change.