Prolonged heavy rain has flooded the DT640 road connecting Tuy Phuoc and Phu Cat districts in central province of Binh Dinh, disrupting the traffic. (Photo: VNA) Brussels (VNA) – Vietnam can learn from and apply experience drawn from measures that have been taken by Brussels to respond to climate change, prevent floods and protect the environment, Tristan Roberti, President of the Environmental Commission at the Brussels-Capital Region, said.
Brussels has potential for renewable energy but it isimpossible to install wind power stations there due to limited space and frequent flights atBrussels International Airport. Thus, the capital does not focus on wind powerbut develop solar energy, Roberti said in a recent interview with the Vietnam News Agency.
The city has encouraged residents to install solar panels ontheir roofs. It also set up an online energy map. Accordingly, people only needto access the map, fill in their home address to know whether the roof issuitable for installing solar panels and how they benefit from it. Businessesand schools are motivated to install solar panels.
Roberti said Brussels authorities have also provide technicalassistance to households to install solar panels. Financial support is providedthrough the issuance of "Green Certification", which allows reducing energyprices for families, agencies and schools participating in the project.
In July, the Wallonia region - a French-speaking region in thesouth of Belgium - suffered a historic flood that killed nearly 50 people. Toprevent Brussels from this situation, the capital applies rainwater collectionin a natural way, so that it penetrates deep into the ground.
In some big cities, roads are asphalted which hinder waterfrom seeping into the soil, causing flooding. Therefore, the city always leaves"green areas" for water to drain easily when designing roads.
In addition to upgrading the sewer system every year, the city also built a rainwater storage tank which helps limit theconsequences caused by floods.
Tristan Roberti, President of the Environmental Commission at the Brussels-Capital Region. (Photo: VNA) Regarding sustainable development, Brussels, like othermajor cities, is facing three challenges, he said. The first challenge is thatthe buildings have been built for a long time, not paying much attention toenvironmental factors as well as energy. Currently, the city is renovating thesebuildings to make them more energy-responsive.
Traffic also poses challenges for Brussels, Roberti said. Thecity advocates reducing personal cars, increasing public transport, usingbicycles or walking. Brussels has now decided to stop using diesel cars by2030 and gasoline cars by 2035. This is very important in improving air qualityin the capital.
ꦡ Green space is also a problem for the city. Currently, somestreets in Brussels still lack green trees and many residential areas do nothave green parks. Thus, the city is focusing on planting more trees as the measuredoes not only improve the environment and scenery of the city but also enhancethe air quality as well as the living environment of the people, he said./.
