Co-organised by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) in collaboration with 13 Departments of Science and Technology in the Mekong Delta region, the event aimed to bring into force techniques and materials that could help locals deal with the negative effects resulting from climate change to their production and daily activities.
Vuong Duc Tuan, deputy head of the National Agency in the Southern Region under the MOST, stressed that the Mekong Delta is the world’s second most affected region in regards to the extent of damages caused by climate change. Its consequences are not only losses of land due to erosion and flooding, but also unpredictable economic losses to crops due to drought and saltwater intrusion.
At the same time, the Mekong Delta is also a region with a high level of technological application with 134 technology solutions to cope with climate change in 2016. The urgent demand has pushed up the need for technological intervention to adapt and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Experts and inventors came up with a range of new feasible technological solutions for the Mekong Delta region, such as non-metallic fiber reinforced concrete, road construction technology with soil stabiliser derived from enzyme or sulfonate compounds and non-burnt brick making technology.
In addition to solutions for construction materials, the workshop also looked at initiatives on genetically modified crops to adapt to climate change, of which citrus fruit varieties are used for salt tolerance by the Southern Fruit Research Institute (SOFRI).
Dr. Vo Huu Thoai from the institute said that soil salinity had great influence on the growth and development of citrus varieties and hybrids, reducing chlorophyll, starch and total sugar content while increasing potassium, sodium and chlorine in leaves.
Experts at SOFRI have developed five salt tolerant green-skin grapefruits which have been cultivated in Tan Phu Dong District (Tien Giang province) and Mo Cay Nam District (Ben Tre province) with salinity resistant level up to 8‰.
