Authorities from the central coastal province of Ninh Thuan have called for investment support from the Government and the World Bank (WB) in Vietnam to build a system of water reservoirs to cope with the prolonged droughts seen in recent years.
Currently, the province has 21 water reservoirs capable of holding 194 million cubic metres of water. The reservoirs, together with the 164 million cubic-metre Don Duong Lake in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong , could supply water for half the farm land in Ninh Thuan province.
However, due to continuous drought, many reservoirs have only held 30-50 percent of their designed capacity resulting in dry cultivation land, reported the provincial People’s Committee while working with officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the World Bank on April 6.
Given that, the province is reducing its rice growing areas and developing high-value crops requiring less water such as grapes and apples in its place, implementing dry weather-relevant livestock models, and boosting off-shore fishing.
Local authorities highlighted sea-based economy as the future provincial spearhead, but pointed to the limited capacity of fishermen to build new and upgrade old vessels for off-shore activities.
They proposed the WB assist the province in developing its canals system, fishing ports, storm shelters and aquatic resources while expanding effective irrigation and drainage models.
World Bank Country Director Victoria Kwakwa suggested the province design specific institutions and policies to cope with the impact of climate change in the short, mid-range and long term.
The WB in Vietnam will send technical experts to discuss a support cooperation programme on climate change adaptation and drought with local authorities, she added.
She proposed Ninh Thuan join projects managing natural disaster risks, clean water and environmental sanitation that the WB is implementing in Vietnam .
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat agreed to kick start the Tan My Lake project and proposed the WB help the province improve the provincial irrigation system.
The Minister also asked the province to enact measures to help farmers grow drought-resistant plants and use water economically for their daily activities, livestock and production.-VNA
Đăng ký: VietNam News