From 18th to 21st October 2012 a training course on climate change adaptation strategies for the provincial authorities of Tra Vinh province was held in Can Tho. The training course was organized by the Dragon Institute on Climate Change with support from Hanns Seidel Foundation. Dr Van Pham Dang Tri from the College for Environment and Natural Resources guided the participants from Tra Vinh province through the four day course.

Climate change has a huge impact on the Mekong Delta, also known as Vietnam’s rice basket, as over 50% of the country’s rice crops grow in the Delta. The region is also known for its fruit and aquaculture products. Due to rising sea levels the Delta is facing problems with increasing water salinity levels which harm natural fauna and flora. In addition, dams and dykes constructed upstream are obstructing the river’s natural flow and are causing water levels to rise without means of contained overflow. This leads to major flooding in the Mekong Delta, especially in the southern provinces such as Tra Vinh.

To be able to make detailed predictions of the river’s changing flow and rising water level, data on floods and changes in water levels from the provinces is needed. The aim of the training course in Can Tho was to equip local authorities with the knowledge to collect data and to feed the data into the provided models. These models enable predictions on the Mekong’s flow for various scenarios.

Dr. Van Pham Dang Tri stressed the mutual benefits of the training and called it a “win win situation”. The provinces as well as the Dragon Institute will benefit from the insights gained by this improved method of collecting data.