Mekong Delta gets support to deal with environmental challenges

Erosion along Ô Môn River in Ô Môn District of Cần Thơ City in March due to climate change. It  dragged four houses and a part of another into the water. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Liêm

CẦN THƠ — Leaders of the Mekong Delta city of Cần Thơ on Wednesday held a working session with a delegation from Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management (FSPPM) under Fulbright University Vietnam on the implementation of the Natural Capital Management project in the Mekong Delta region.

Dr. Vũ Thành Tự Anh, director of the project, said that the scheme is jointly funded by Dragon Capital and Galaxy Studio, covering the whole Mekong Delta region with Cần Thơ being the central location.

It aims to identify the most serious environmental challenges facing the region, analysing and developing solutions based on solid scientific evidence, while organising dialogue with policy-makers, scientists, businesses, people and other stakeholders.

Five priorities of the project include agricultural transition, energy, risk management, ecological preservation, and regional connectivity in the Mekong Delta region.

Fulbright University Vietnam will promote regional policy research activities related to the environment, increase the teaching of public policy, and help to foster links among localities, he added.

Addressing the working session, Vice Chairman of the city People’s Committee Dương Tấn Hiển briefed the delegation on a number of projects that the city has conducted in the field of environment, natural resources and climate change.

Hiển said that transport infrastructure remains the greatest bottleneck of the Mekong Delta region. Cần Thơ International Airport has operated with just 30 per cent of its capacity, while regional waterway system has allowed the travel of under 5,000-tonne vessels, he noted.

He said that regional localities are working to broaden Định An-Cần Thơ Canal to handle 30,000-tonne ships, while developing more industrial parks, economic facilities and tourism destinations to draw more investors and visitors.

Hiển also pointed to the weakness of the Mekong Delta in regional connectivity, especially in production, which needs the support from central agencies.

The official pledged that Cần Thơ will provide optimal conditions for Fulbright University Vietnam to effectively implement the project, which is expected to help improve public awareness of climate change and environment in the region, supporting the management and design of policies, strategies and solutions to adapt to climate change, thus speeding up post-pandemic socio-economic recovery and development in Cần Thơ and the Mekong Delta region. — VNS