Riverbank erosion happens regularly, affecting houses in Mỏ Cày Nam Town in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Bến Tre's Mỏ Cày District. The PM has urged the region to prepare for the impacts of climate change. VNA/VNS Photo Công Trí

The request has been included in Directive No. 23/CT-TTg recently signed by the Government leader, aiming to push ahead with the implementation of the Government’s Resolution No. 120/NQ-CP on developing the Mekong Delta sustainably, adaptive to climate change.

Under the Directive, the PM said regional connectivity should be taken into account during the process of making mechanisms and policies on economic development, infrastructure investment, production connectivity and product consumption.

He also required seeking more resources and legal sources of capital for the region, highlighting the significance of a suitable financial mechanism to the sustainable development in the region.

The leader called for greater efforts in personnel training, human resource development, and scientific research and technological development in service of the regional sustainable development.

PM Phúc pointed out that the implementation of the Resolution No. 120/NQ-CP had been hampered by the lack of attention of agencies and localities to both research work and resource mobilisation for solutions to ease adverse impacts of climate change and meet demands of sustainable socio-economic development.
The lack of effective regulations on regional coordination and regional and inter-regional connectivity was also another factor behind the limited outcomes of the resolution.

The Mekong Delta comprises of 12 provinces: Long An, Đồng Tháp, Tiền Giang, An Giang, Bến Tre, Vĩnh Long, Trà Vinh, Hậu Giang, Kiên Giang, Sóc Trăng, Bạc Liêu, and Cà Mau, along with the centrally run city of Cần Thơ.

The region is under serious threats from extreme and unpredictable impacts of climate change such as erosion, saltwater intrusion and water shortage, affecting regional development. — VNS