Urgent plans needed to adapt to climate change, rising sea levels
The historic drought this year affected 45,000 hectares of rice and crops, causing a loss of VND8.114 trillion in total. The drought and saline intrusion caused 2 million people to lack water for daily use, 1.75 million people to lose their livelihood, and put hundreds of thousands of people at risk of disease, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. It is estimated that 7.6 million hectares of land in Vietnam have been damaged and left uncultivated, which may lead to desertification. The desertification in Vietnam can be seen most clearly in four areas – the northwest, coastal areas in the central region, the Central Highlands and Long Xuyen Quadrangle. Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan provinces are the driest areas. Deputy Minister of MONRE Vo Tuan Nhan said that due to the limited capability of the workforce and equipment, the environmental monitoring remains unsatisfactory.
