Vietnam May Lose 2.5M Ha of Land by End-21st Century due to Climate Change

Vietnam will possibly lose 2.5 million hectares of land and ten million locals may be forced to migrate by the end of this century due to the negative impacts of climate change, reported the Tai Nguyen & Moi Truong newswire, the mouthpiece of Vietnam’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE). Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, the country’s agricultural hub, will be hardest hit. The delta is projected to lose a large proportion of its area due to saltwater intrusion and flooding. By end-21st century, Vietnam’s whole coastal areas will likely record a seawater rise of 57-73 centimeters, with the most severe level being anticipated for the region from Ca Mau to Kien Giang provinces, at 105 centimeters. At present, the underground water sources in the Mekong Delta have been exhausted. Three out of 13 localities in the delta, namely Hau Giang, Soc Trang, and Ca Mau, have drilled over 291,000 wells to serve their daily lives and agricultural production. Besides, the delta is facing extreme weather conditions, such as rising water, fierce drought, saltwater intrusion, tides, and riverbank subsidence. (Bao Tai Nguyen Moi Truong, baotainguyenmoitruong.vn)