Society
Resilient buildings: a necessity for Việt Nam
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| United Nations (UN) Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson made a fact-finding trip to the southern province of BếnTre yesterday to find out about the impact of the ongoing drought and saline intrusion.— Photo zing.vn |
BẾN TRE – United Nations (UN) Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson made a fact-finding trip to the southern province of BếnTre yesterday to find out about the impact of the ongoing drought and saline intrusion. Meeting with a local household victim, Eliasson vowed to seek solutions to help affected farmers.
He later inspected a landslide in Bảo Thuận Commune where tens of hectares of soil have been lost to blasting sea waves every year. Trương Duy Hải, deputy chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said over 20,000ha of winter-spring crops have been completely destroyed, leading to food shortages.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Đức Phát informed the UN Deputy Secretary-General that not only the Mekong Delta, but the central and Central Highlands are suffering from severe drought.
The Mekong Delta has lost one million tonnes of rice and over 9,000ha of fruit orchards while more than 200,000 households lack enough water. Eliasson suggested Việt Nam work with countries to devise a joint action plan and solutions that take climate change into account.
He vowed to assist Vietnamese victims in drought-stricken areas and informed international organisations about Việt Nam’s ongoing disasters. The UN official said he will convey information and images of Việt Nam’s climate change-induced losses to a meeting in Turkey later this month. — VNS
