Mekong Urban Resilience Phase II

Vietnam is one of the countries most affected by climate change and the Mekong Delta is particularly vulnerable, with significant economic consequences. While seasonal flooding is a normal phenomenon in the Mekong Delta, over the past decades, floods have increased in frequency and intensity, due to reasons related both to climate change and infrastructure. The lack of coordinated regional development in the Mekong Delta, particularly infrastructure planning and investment, has significantly increased urban climate risk. As a result, building climate resilience and sustainable urban development in the Delta is a key government priority.

Improve climate resilience of the Mekong region, and in particular of cities in the Delta. This will be achieved through three interlinked components.

National, regional and provincial regulatory frameworks for integrated climate-resilient and water-sensitive urban planning are established and enhanced.

A regional and sub-regional coordination mechanism and institutional set-up for climate-resilient and water-sensitive urban planning and implementation is established and functioning sustainably, also taking into consideration gender aspects.

Climate-resilient and water-sensitive urban infrastructure is constructed based on renovated regional planning and the coordination mechanism.

Risultati principali attesi:  

Regulatory framework for effective functioning of the established coordination mechanism and for climate-resilient, integrated urban planning and implementation developed.

Measures to address urban climate risks/hazards (urban flood, erosion and drainage management) are successfully integrated into national, regional and provincial/city planning.

An institutional mechanism for regional planning and implementation of climate-resilient urban infrastructure is established and functional.

National and provincial authorities are supported by the newly established regional coordination mechanism for climate-resilient urban infrastructure planning and implementation.

Capacity of relevant national and provincial agencies for sustainable and climate-resilient urban development is strengthened.

The construction of climate-resilient and/or nature-based regional infrastructure is prepared based on the relevant legal frameworks and coordination mechanisms.

Risultati fasi precedenti:  

The previous phase implemented between 2017 and 2020 aimed at tackling urban climate resilience via an integrated approach to urban flood prevention and management in the Mekong Delta. It produced significant results, including nation-wide standards and policies in urban drainage and flood risk reduction. In three cities in the Mekong Delta, the project helped improve early warning systems and establish urban drainage plans that were approved by the government. The previous project also cooperated with partners to establish the provincial regulatory framework for flood and drainage management, for example a customer tariff system to cover the operation and maintenance of drainage infrastructure. Finally, the project also successfully piloted sustainable urban drainage systems in three cities in the Delta.