Looking from the "great floods": Planning must be linked to disaster risk management

It is necessary to review the entire small hydropower system and re-evaluate the flood discharge process.

On November 28, discussing the draft Law on Planning (amended) and the adjustment of the National Master Plan for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, delegate Trinh Xuan An suggested that new data from recent "historic peaks" should be recorded in localities, from which to design a planning system, especially related to lakes and hydropower systems. It is necessary to review the entire small hydropower system and re-evaluate the flood discharge process.

"It is necessary to invest more in inter-regional and inter-provincial monitoring systems to handle the consequences caused by natural disasters," Mr. Trinh Xuan An emphasized.

Nhìn từ các trận — Delegate Trinh Xuan An, Committee on National Defense, Security and Foreign Affairs

Regarding the adjustment of the national master plan, Mr. Trinh Xuan An said that the whole country is divided into 6 socio -economic regions and each region has its own development priorities, but only the North Central region links socio-economic development with national defense and security.

He suggested that all socio-economic development regions must have content on ensuring and linking socio-economic development with national defense and security. At the same time, it is necessary to add specific targets and objectives on ensuring national defense and security in the national master plan.

In the current zoning, there are regions with more than 10 provinces but there are regions with only 3 provinces, such as the Southeast region currently has Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai and Tay Ninh. Emphasizing that this is the region with "the fewest provinces but the most important" in contributing to the growth of the whole country, delegate Trinh Xuan An said that there should be a special mechanism in regional coordination so that regions with specific characteristics have more authority, conditions to clear bottlenecks and develop a driving role.

Proposal to soon study investment in railway connecting Ho Chi Minh City - Can Tho

Meanwhile, delegate Nguyen Tuan Anh, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Can Tho City, said that besides new strategic advantages, the Mekong Delta region still faces great challenges in the risk of falling behind.

From there, he suggested focusing on creating a breakthrough in transport infrastructure and irrigation in Can Tho. Specifically, focusing resources on completing the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressway and connecting routes to major transport hubs. It is necessary to speed up the construction of Tran De seaport, ensuring that this port is truly the gateway port of the Mekong Delta region.

Delegates also proposed to soon study and determine the investment roadmap for the railway line connecting Ho Chi Minh City with Can Tho after 2030, in order to increase the capacity to transport large volumes and reduce logistics costs...

The Can Tho City Party Committee leaders also recommended that it is necessary to soon invest in building anti-flooding works for this locality, as well as building water control works in estuaries and coastal areas to proactively control salinity, store fresh water, and supplement fresh water, and deploy water storage solutions on the river and canal systems in the Mekong Delta.

Agreeing with the viewpoint of delegate Nguyen Tuan Anh, delegate Pham Van Hoa (Dong Thap delegation) contributed ideas to enhance the position of the Mekong Delta - a region considered a national strategic reserve for food security and national defense. According to the delegate, the Mekong Delta currently has more than 20 million people, but the socio-economic infrastructure has not received due attention and has not developed commensurate with its potential and population. Although it is a region playing a strategic role in food security, the Mekong Delta still has many limitations in enjoying socio-economic benefits compared to the whole country.

Delegate Tran Hoang Ngan (Ho Chi Minh City Delegation) also suggested that more attention should be paid to the connecting infrastructure in the Mekong Delta region. In the Can Tho urban area, the delegate suggested adding more highlights. Because this is the center of economics, trade, services, logistics, food processing industry, high-tech agricultural center and research centers on plant varieties.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/nhin-tu-cac-tran-dai-hong-thuy-quy-hoach-phai-gan-voi-quan-tri-rui-ro-thien-tai-238251128183357874.htm