World Environment Day 2024 calls on nations worldwide to work together toward the goals of restoring land, combating desertification and drought resilience, slowing climate change, protecting nature, and enhancing livelihoods and food security for billions of people around the world.
In Lao Cai , based on the analysis of meteorological and hydrological data series from 1961 to 2021, a trend of increasing temperature and rainfall compared to the multi-year average has been observed.
According to expert assessments, due to the impact of global climate change, extreme weather phenomena such as hailstorms, severe cold spells, frost, etc., significantly affect the lives and production of the people. Drought and water shortages occur during the dry season, especially in the 46 communes at risk of desertification in the three districts of Muong Khuong, Bac Ha, and Si Ma Cai. Desertification has created difficulties in water supply.
In Muong Khuong district, several areas are showing signs of desertification and a decrease in groundwater levels, such as Lo Co Chin village in Pha Long commune (18 households), Din Chin, Ngai Thau, and Cung Lung villages in Din Chin commune (240 households in total), and Ta Gia Khau village in Ta Gia Khau commune (23 households), especially during the dry season. Currently, water use mainly relies on rainwater or pumping from nearby sources. The reasons for the water shortage, besides the decrease in groundwater levels due to desertification and climate change, are also the fact that people live and work in high mountainous terrain. To address this situation, local Party committees and authorities have surveyed and searched for new water sources. The solution being implemented is the construction of rainwater storage tanks and pumping from areas with water sources, initially meeting some of the people's needs. In the long term, this locality has determined that efforts are needed to plant forests and green the barren hillsides in order to combat drought and desertification in a more sustainable way.
Similarly, Si Ma Cai district is one of the three localities at high risk of desertification. Over the past period, the district has implemented many solutions to reforest barren land and hills, creating stable livelihoods for the people and combating desertification. Among these, the conversion from food crop cultivation to afforestation on hillside land and areas at risk of desertification is a policy well-suited to the actual conditions in Si Ma Cai.
Regarding drought conditions, from 2012 to 2022, there were several prolonged droughts and widespread heatwaves in some localities within the province, causing damage to the agricultural sector, especially short-term crops (rice, corn, and other crops). The number of severe cold spells and frost damage from 2012 to 2022 averaged 5-7 per year; however, the number of days with severe cold has tended to decrease in most areas. In 2023, prolonged heatwaves caused droughts in many places and affected many sectors, with agriculture being the most severely affected; in 2023 alone, losses due to heatwaves and water shortages amounted to 751.9 billion VND.
According to Mr. Luu Duc Cuong, Head of the Environmental Protection Sub-Department (Department of Natural Resources and Environment), climate change is having a major impact on many provinces and cities nationwide and countries around the world. This year's World Environment Day has the theme "Land Restoration, Combating Drought and Desertification," and this is also a topic of interest to Lao Cai province. To implement this theme in particular and combat climate change in general, Lao Cai has developed an action plan to respond to the situation for the period up to 2030, with a vision to 2050.
Specifically, Lao Cai aims to effectively control water and land resources by 2030, ensuring a balanced and sufficient water supply for domestic use, agriculture, industry, services, and other important economic sectors. Facing the risks of drought and desertification, the agricultural sector and related industries have implemented solutions to restore land and enhance its adaptability. Crops and livestock are being transformed to be more adaptable to climate change, developing sustainable agricultural, forestry, and fisheries value chains, ensuring national food security and nutritional balance.
In addition, Lao Cai is focusing on implementing sustainable forest management solutions, increasing forest cover; conserving nature and biodiversity; reducing emissions, and increasing the capacity to absorb greenhouse gases... Lao Cai has also developed specific plans to implement response and adaptation tasks for each sector and field.
According to Mr. Cuong, various sectors and localities are expanding effective models for land restoration, drought prevention, and desertification, especially in areas directly affected by drought and desertification. On World Environment Day and the Month of Action for the Environment, Lao Cai simultaneously organized community activities such as rallies, environmental cleanup campaigns, tree planting, waste collection and treatment; and launched a campaign to jointly protect resources, protect the environment, and respond to climate change through practical actions...
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