Big coastal cities including Ho Chi Minh City will be flooded more frequently on a larger scale, which will impact millions of people, if the current trend of climate change continues, warned a recent report on climate change by ADB.
The report, on climatic risks and adaptation solutions in big coastal Asian cities, explored the potential impact of climate change on Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Manila, taking into account various adaptation policies, until 2050. It is the result of a two-year cooperation between Asian Development Bank (ADB), Japanese International Cooperation Association (JICA) and World Bank. The report was recently publicized in the Pacific Asian Forum “Adaptation to Climate Change.”
The report pointed out that the cost of improving infrastructure and the economy after floods can reach billions of dollars, with the worst impacts suffered by the poor. It concluded that all three cities must have modern, objective strategies, taking into account their respective urban characteristics, to overcome these challenges.
Ho Chi Minh City has a population of about 10 million, is the national economic growth centre, and is an important contributor to the country’s GDP. However, at the moment, Ho Chi Minh City is dealing with growing impacts from climate change, such as increasing sea levels and more frequent extreme weather phenomena. The report argued that despite the adaptation of recommended solutions to floods, there remains a lot of work to do.
The report estimates that in Ho Chi Minh City, 26 % of the current population is affected by extreme storms, and this is expected to rise to 60 % by 2050. The Vietnamese Government has worked on plans for the city to adapt to climate change, with an overall strategy and methods for specific fields.
Effective management of the urban environment is also an important issue for Ho Chi Minh City to address. Land subsidence due to groundwater exploitation, untreated solid waste in city water channels, blocked drainage systems and damage to riverhead protective forests all worsen the impact of flooding in the city. Better management of environmental issues will help mitigate the impacts of future climatic change.
The report also recommended that authorities in major coastal cities should actively include climate change risk management in all urban planning. This includes building an urban adaptation strategy framework for climate change risk management, and improving mechanisms promoting land usage and zoning which minimize the city’s vulnerability.
Q.C
Vietnamese
