Australia and Vietnam cooperate to respond to climate change

In August 2023, during her visit to Vietnam, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced a new support package worth 94.5 million Australian dollars (AUD) for climate change adaptation in the Mekong Delta (MD) for the period 2023-2034. This is Australia's latest effort to join Vietnam in addressing common challenges in climate change.

Sharing about this aid package with the press, Minister Penny Wong said that the Mekong Delta is a region that is very vulnerable to climate change. In addition, both countries have the same commitment to achieving net zero emissions and are working together to promote the clean energy transition.

[caption id="attachment_427692" align="aligncenter" width="665"] Dredging of irrigation canals to store water to cope with drought and salinity in Hon Dat district, Long Xuyen Quadrangle ( Kien Giang ). Photo: VNA[/caption]

This statement by Minister Penny Wong continues to complement the Australian government's commitment to Vietnam in the field of climate change. Before the above support package, Australia has left many marks in supporting the Mekong Delta to respond to climate change. Among them is the Bac Vam Nao Flood Control Project implemented in Phu Tan district, An Giang province.

The project contributes to improving economic efficiency in the region, stabilizing the lives of more than 200,000 people, helping to reduce the poverty rate from 11.89% (before the project implementation) to 7.3% (when the project is in operation). The project helps Phu Tan island avoid damage caused by floods and reduce water pollution.

Of the total investment cost of about 200 billion VND (period from January 2002 to September 2007), the capital from the Australian International Development Cooperation Agency supported 68.5 billion VND, the rest is counterpart capital and other capital sources. The North Vam Nao flood control project focuses on building new open culverts, culverts, bridges; repairing existing culverts and closing the belt dike, helping to maintain a moderate water level in the entire project area, ensuring safety for the harvest of summer-autumn rice and sticky rice, draining water quickly for early planting of the winter-spring crop in the flood season; increasing the amount of water entering canals and ditches in the fields in the dry season every year.

[caption id="attachment_427692" align="aligncenter" width="665"] Phu Hiep culvert on the Bac Vam Nao system, Phu Tan district, An Giang province. Photo: iwem.gov.vn[/caption]

Thanks to this project, the people of Phu Tan Islet and the Tan Chau floodplain can produce reliably, increasing to 3 crops/year through the operation of opening and closing/opening sluices at different times. Even during the flood season, the project creates opportunities for over 58,000 workers to have jobs on the spot, increasing the income of rural people.

The cooperation between An Giang and Australian partners is also reflected in the Rural Clean Water and Environmental Sanitation Project (2007 - 2011); 4 projects under the Australian Government's Direct Aid Program (DAP) in the fields of clean water and environmental sanitation...

Vice Chairman of the An Giang Provincial People's Committee Tran Anh Thu said: The programs and projects that the Australian Government, Australian organizations and individuals have supported for An Giang province are all highly practical, contributing to directly solving socio-economic difficulties in remote areas, helping to improve life, raise awareness and capacity of people in responding to climate change.

In Dong Thap, Australia has supported the transformation of the environmental management system at Tram Chim National Park - a diverse ecosystem with more than 130 fish species and over 230 bird species, of which the symbol is the red-crowned crane listed in the Red Book.

Previously, due to resource and technology constraints, data collection, assessment and monitoring of the impact of appropriate management interventions in the National Park was a major challenge. The Australian Government’s Aus4Innovation program has supported a partnership between the University of Wollongong, Australia and Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology to transform the environmental management system at Tram Chim. Australian and Vietnamese scientists have worked together to apply smart connected devices to regular large-scale surveys in the National Park. The large amounts of data collected will be processed using artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to provide real-time information on the state of the National Park’s ecosystem, not only to protect the health of animals but also to improve water monitoring and fire warning systems.

Regarding cooperation with the Mekong Delta, Australian officials said that at present, Australia is focusing on projects to increase productivity and environmental resilience because these are vital factors for the Mekong Delta to adapt to climate change, maintain food security and ensure sustainable development in the future.

Thanh Luan