UNDP assists Mekong Delta in drought response efforts
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Partnership for Disaster Risk Reduction under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) signed an agreement on March 17 to support the Mekong Delta’s response to drought and saltwater intrusion.
A rice field dries up due to drought in Vi Thuy district, the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The UN Development Programme (UNDP)and the Partnership for Disaster Risk Reduction under the Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development (MARD) signed an agreement on March 17 tosupport the Mekong Delta’s response to drought and saltwater intrusion.
The signing ceremony in Hanoi saw the presenceof Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hoang Hiep, headof the Partnership for Disaster Risk Reduction, and UNDP ResidentRepresentative in Vietnam Caitlin Wiesen.
Amid severe drought and saltwater intrusion inthe Mekong Delta and in response to the appeal by the Partnership for DisasterRisk Reduction, the UNDP has coordinated with the Vietnam Disaster ManagementAuthority to send working groups to assess the situation in the region andprovide information as a basis for other members in the Partnership to givesupport.
The UNDP also presented an aid package worth185,000 USD funded by the global emergency fund to the MARD to help the MekongDelta cope with drought and saltwater intrusion.
As part of its assistance, the UNDP has provided300 water tanks for affected households in Ben Tre province and offeredlivelihood support for 176 others in Ca Mau province.
It has also carried out assessment of droughtimpacts on locals’ livelihoods and access to freshwater, supported policydialogue on disaster prevention and control, and helped with the application ofmobile technology to keep updated on damage caused by natural disasters./.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has pointed out an urgent need to ensure standardised drinking water for residents in the Mekong Delta while minimising socio-economic impact caused by drought there.
The central region is at high risk of drought from March to May, the remaining months of this dry season, said Deputy Director of the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting Vu Duc Long said on March 9.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has called on provinces in the south central coastal and Central Highlands regions to take measures to minimise drought's impact on the Summer-Autumn crops.
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A rice field dries up due to drought in Vi Thuy district, the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang (Photo: VNA) 
