Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has given his approval of a proposal to build a water reservoir at the U Minh Ha National Park in the southernmost province of Ca Mau.
The facility, which would cost 200 billion VND (9.4 million USD), will cover 190 hectares with a capacity of 10 million cubic meter of water. It will supply water for both daily use and farming activities of farmers living in the park’s cushion zone.
The project is expected to be carried out between 2015 and 2020.
The U Minh Ha National Park was established in 2006 and is rich in fauna and flora such as mangrove, snakes, turtles, birds and amphibian.
In a recent working trip to Ca Mau, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai assigned the Ministries of Planning and Investment; Agriculture and Rural Development; and Natural Resources and Environment to study the project to facilitate its implementation as soon as possible.
At the same time, he required the province to consider carefully the efficiency and economical benefits of the work, adding that the project must be environmentally friendly and adaptive to climate change.
Regarding the provincial request for more capital to build a new dyke system along its eastern coastline, the Deputy PM Hai said the proposal would need more research as it would require huge investment. He added that the Government has made Ca Mau the key province to implement climate change adaptation programmes.
Ca Mau province, surrounded by sea on three sides, is being threatened by saltwater intrusion under the impacts of climate change and sea level rise while local sea dykes have seriously degraded.
According to the provincial People’s Committee, more than 40 kilometres of the province’s eastern sea dyke system has been severely damaged by erosion.