Viet Nam News One does not always need to use hard materials to build walls to keep flood waters out of fields and villages. An architect called Ngô Anh Đào has made a soft wall to do the job. She and her partner, Vũ Thị Mỹ Hạnh used environmentally-friendly material, such as bamboo, sand and clumps of reeds. They also grew plants on their wall – and it works. These days it is more difficult to tell when rivers will flood so it is important to have a good wall, or dyke as such walls are called. By Công Thành Architect Ngô Anh Đào designed her first “green” river dyke by looking at the natural structures that plants use to survive environmental changes. The dyke provides what she calls a “soft” riverbank protection solution in Triêm Tây Village. Đào, who studied urban planning and landscape design at the University of Montreal, Canada, used multiple … [Read more...] about Wall against water, made from natural material
Water damage help
Provinces prepare for floods as water levels of rivers in Mekong Delta rise
Viet Nam News HCM CITY — The Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control has instructed Mekong Delta provinces to keep farmers informed about weather and tide conditions so they can harvest crops unprotected by dyke systems. To minimise losses caused by rising water levels of the Mekong River, local authorities have been helping farmers to upgrade dykes and drain water from rice fields. On August 7, the water level on Tiền River was 3.26 metres and on Hậu River was 2.59 metres. The warning level is 3.5 metres and 3 metres, respectively. The water level was expected to peak at 3.55 metres on Tiền River and 2.9 metres on Hậu River on August 10. On August 15, the water level is expected to peak at 3.8 metres on Tiền River and 3.2 metres on Hậu River, which will flood provinces in An Giang, Đồng Tháp and Long An. Vũ Đức Long, deputy director of the National Centre for … [Read more...] about Provinces prepare for floods as water levels of rivers in Mekong Delta rise
Resilience, resignation as Hà Nội district remains under water
Viet Nam News Thu Vân HÀ NỘI — If it were not for the stench and the muddy colour of the waters, one could imagine it was Venice. But there are no gondolas, of course. Just people making their way in makeshift boats, no romance in their hearts, just resilience and resignation to the problems they face. Ten days after heavy rains flooded Nam Hài Village in Nam Phương Tiến Commune, Chương Mỹ District, Nguyễn Nhã Tuyển paddles a bamboo boat to check on his half-submerged house. Located about 30km from downtown Hà Nội, Chương Mỹ District, along with Quốc Oai and Thạch Thất, were the hardest hit the heavy downpours began on July 21. The rain has stopped, but his house remains flooded, and things won’t change in the foreseeable future. When the waters rose suddenly, he was only able to move some of his family’s belongings. Tuyển’s … [Read more...] about Resilience, resignation as Hà Nội district remains under water
Program helps raise Mekong Delta’s resilience to climate change effects
The program was launched in 2011 at a cost of EUR 23 million (USD 26.9 million) funded by the German and Australian governments via the German Development Cooperation Organisation. Running five projects, the program has come to the Mekong Delta provinces of Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, Kien Giang, and An Giang, with the aim of coastal protection using the ecosystem; supporting local farmers in agriculture and aquaculture; and promoting cooperation among provincial governments. At the conference Its overall objective is to make the Mekong Delta region more resilient to the severe effects of climate change. At the event, participants looked into the projects’ achievements in response to climate change over recent years in the agriculture, fishery, and forestry sectors. On this occasion, the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development launched a programme on climate change adaptation in the Mekong Delta based on human approaches and science and … [Read more...] about Program helps raise Mekong Delta’s resilience to climate change effects
Fields submerged, livestock killed, but farmers happy to help clear exit for boys in cave
His fields are submerged and his ducks nearly wiped out by water being frantically pumped from the cave that holds captive 12 boys and their football coach, but Thai farmer Lek is delighted to help the rescue bid. Nearly 50 acres of farmer Lek's land has been inundated by water as part of the effort to drain the cave. (Photo: AFP/Ye Aung Thu) Standing near his ruined land, Lek Lapdaungpoin says he is proud of his small but significant contribution to battling the rescue operation's main enemy - water. "With the farming, we can make money again. But 13 lives are not something we can create," he said, estimating that five districts and hundreds of acres had been damaged in the lowlands around the Tham Luang cave complex. Flooding is seasonal in Thailand, but for many in the vicinity of the cave the scale is sudden and massive. Water inside the cave has blocked the boys' escape route. Nineteen high-powered pumps are in place to reduce the water level, which has come down by one … [Read more...] about Fields submerged, livestock killed, but farmers happy to help clear exit for boys in cave
Quang Ninh: Lightning damages power line to Co To island
Co To is land in Quang Ninh province (Photo: VNA) Quang Ninh (VNA) – Lightning has damaged the 22KV power transmission line that provides electricity for Co To island district and five communes of Van Don island district in the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh, disrupting electricity supply for the islands for days. The transmission line’s section in Ba Mun Island of Co To district was struck by lightning at 13:37 on June 18. Supply was resumed for the communes in Van Don district early the next day, but the Quang Ninh power company is yet to fix the line transmission to Co To. The company said the power cut will continue on the island for a couple of days, noting that difficult terrains and unfavourable weather conditions are hindering repairing work. Co To island district has been connected to the national power grid since 2013 and the power failure may affect local tourism activities. The district People’s Committee has informed local people and … [Read more...] about Quang Ninh: Lightning damages power line to Co To island
Flood damage would double without coral reefs: study
Loss of coral reefs around the world would double the damage from coastal flooding, and triple the destruction caused by storm surges, researchers said Tuesday. Coupled with projected sea level rise driven by global warming, reef decline could see flooding increase four-fold by century's end, they reported in the journal Nature Communications. Without coral to help absorb the shock, a once-in-a-century cyclone would wreak twice the havoc, with the damage measured in the tens of billions of dollars, the team calculated. "Coral reefs serve as natural, submerged breakwaters that reduce flooding by breaking waves and reducing wave energy," said Michael Beck, lead scientist at The Nature Conservancy research and environmental group, and a professor at the University of California in Santa Cruz. "Unfortunately, we are already losing the height and complexity of shallow reefs around the world, so we are likely already seeing increases in flood damages along many tropical coasts," he told AFP. … [Read more...] about Flood damage would double without coral reefs: study
From thermal plant admirer to Goldman prize winner: Vietnamese woman helps cut tons of greenhouse gas emissions
Nguy Thi Khanh has known thermal power since she was a little girl. Khanh, 42, grew up in Bac Am, a village in the northern Bac Giang Province just seven kilometers (4.6 miles) away from a thermal power plant. As a kid, Khanh and her friends used to look up with joy at the line of smoke coming out of the plant’s chimney every afternoon they took buffaloes to pasture. “We were so innocent back then, we were in awe of that chimney without knowing anything about the risks,” she said. She said she had always been interested in environmental issues and the energy sector as if it’s her destiny. She studied politics and diplomacy in college to become a diplomat. But after graduation, she worked in community development, water resource conservation and sustainable energy, setting feet in many places across the country. “When learning about the Kyoto Protocol, I was inspired by my teacher. The more I learned about it, the more I loved it,” Khanh said of the … [Read more...] about From thermal plant admirer to Goldman prize winner: Vietnamese woman helps cut tons of greenhouse gas emissions
The woman who helps Vietnam cut tons of greenhouse gas emissions
Nguy Thi Khanh has known thermal power since she was a little girl. Khanh, 42, grew up in Bac Am, a village in the northern Bac Giang Province just seven kilometers (4.6 miles) away from a thermal power plant. As a kid, Khanh and her friends used to look up with joy at the line of smoke coming out of the plant’s chimney every afternoon they took buffaloes to pasture. “We were so innocent back then, we were in awe of that chimney without knowing anything about the risks,” she said. She said she had always been interested in environmental issues and the energy sector as if it’s her destiny. She studied politics and diplomacy in college to become a diplomat. But after graduation, she worked in community development, water resource conservation and sustainable energy, setting feet in many places across the country. “When learning about the Kyoto Protocol, I was inspired by my teacher. The more I learned about it, the more I loved it,” Khanh said of the … [Read more...] about The woman who helps Vietnam cut tons of greenhouse gas emissions
EU helps Vietnam to deal with coastal erosion
The studies have been conducted under the support by the European Union (EU) and organised by the Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) to Vietnam in implementing its commitments at COP21. The soft and hard measures for protecting the U Minh and Go Cong coastal regions resulting from 12 months research were presented and discussed. The studies examine the causes of coastal erosion heavily damaging the region and inhabitants livelihood, aiming to understand the mechanism responsible for the erosion process in these two zones, establishing a solid scientific basis for integrated management of the Vietnamese coastal zones, and propose soft and hard measures for sustainably protecting these coastal zones from erosion.Photo for illustrationFor this, two large-scale campaigns of in-situ measurements (hydro-dynamics of waves, tidal and sedimentary currents) have been carried out for the first time in the country and experimental (laboratory and in situ) and numerical methods have been … [Read more...] about EU helps Vietnam to deal with coastal erosion