Netherlands gives $19.5 mln for climate adaptation project in southern province

Following the signing, Netherlands Invest International granted $19.5 million (16.5 million Euros) for the project.

Police officers help motorbike drivers stranded in floodwaters in Vinh Long in 2019. Photo by Vietnam News Agency

The plant is one component of the $202.2-million Vinh Long City Urban Development and Enhanced Climate Resilience Project whose objective is to improve access to infrastructure and connectivity and to reduce flood risk in the province’s capital town, also named Vinh Long.

Its components include flood risk management and environmental sanitation, flood risk mitigation and urban drainage, wastewater collection and treatment, and development of strategic corridors and resettlement areas.

Elsbeth Akkerman, the Netherlands’s ambassador to Vietnam, said both countries are committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, and public and private interests often coincide in that pursuit.

The rest of the amount is provided by the World Bank and the province.

The World Bank is helping countries improve their capacity to weather climate shocks through early warning systems, disaster response and civic awareness programs, strengthening buildings, and post-disaster recovery.

In Vietnam, especially in the Mekong Delta, the Netherlands is supporting the development of financial and investment modalities whereby public and private funds are mobilized to jointly support adaptation and build resilience in various sectors.