Vietnam’s Mekong Delta is sinking by an average of 11 millimeters per year, or even 50 millimeters in some places, and the pace is becoming faster, according to Russia’s Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR). Mr. Andreas Renck, a representative from the BGR, revealed the information at a workshop in the southernmost province of Ca Mau on October 15. The event was co-hosted by the BGR, Vietnam’s National Center for Water Resources Planning and Investigation (NAWAPI), and the Germany-funded Improvement of Groundwater Protection in Vietnam (IGPVN) project. He attributed the alarming situation to underground water exploitation, warning that the lives of tens of millions of households in the delta may be threatened if no measures are taken. Mr. Nguyen Bao Chung from the ministry-run Department of Information Technology and Data of Natural Resources and Environment said an integrated data center for the delta is being built in Can Tho City, which is expected to contribute to the region’s sustainable development. In a study released last December, the World Wildlife Fund said the Mekong Delta is subsiding by 2.5 centimeters a year. The region, which spreads over 40,577 square kilometers and is currently home to 21.49 million people, is one of the largest and seemingly lowest delta plains in the world. (Thanh Nien, baotainguyenmoitruong, dwrm, BNews, Nguoi Dua Tin, netnews)
