General

Fair weather seen across PH MondayNetherlands ready to assist Vietnam in sustainable sand mining, water management

MANILA: The country will experience fair weather with isolated rain showers due to the easterlies, the weather bureau said Monday.

“We are not expecting strong winds and rains as fair weather will prevail over most parts of the country,” Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) forecaster Benison Estareja said.

He added that isolated rain showers are most likely in the afternoon or evening.

Estareja added that no cloud clusters were seen to develop into a low pressure area, and no tropical cyclone is expected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility.

Meanwhile, light to moderate winds and slight to moderate seas will prevail across the archipelago, PAGASA said.

The temperature in Metro Manila will range from 24°C to 33°C; Baguio City, 16°C to 25°C; Laoag City, 22°C to 31C; Legazpi City, 24°C to 32°C; Metro Cebu, 26°C to 32°C; Puerto Princesa City, 24°C to 32°C; and Metro Davao, 24°C to 34°C.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Hanoi: Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Dang Quoc Khanh on March 18 had a working session with visiting Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management Mark Harbers, who expressed his country’s readiness to assist Vietnam in offshore sand mining, groundwater management, and mineral exploitation.

Harbers spoke highly of the active moves by the Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) to protect the environment, especially nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation.

He shared opinions about the cooperation programmes on sustainable offshore sand mining, sustainable groundwater management in the Mekong Delta, the exploitation of essential minerals, and activities at the International Panel on Deltas, Coastal Areas and Islands.

These are strengths of the Netherlands, and it is ready to assist and share its policies, experience, techniques, and financial solutions with Vietnam, the minister stressed.

With regard to sustainable offshore sand mining, Khanh agr
eed with his guest on the need to quickly issue guidance for the projects on seeking offshore sand sources.

Talking about sustainable groundwater management in the Mekong Delta, he noted that the geographical location has made this region vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather conditions. Given this, the MoNRE hopes to receive assistance and experience from the Netherlands to devise water storage solutions to help solve water excess in the flood season and water scarcity in the dry season there, thus balancing water resources and boost sustainable development in the Delta.

In terms of activities at the International Panel on Deltas, Coastal Areas and Islands, the Vietnamese minister considered this as a good platform for sharing knowledge about climate change adaptation.

The MoNRE’s Department of Climate Change, Department of Water Resources Management, and Vietnam National Mekong Committee Standing Office will coordinate with the Netherlands to work out proposals for improving the national capac
ity to make use of water resources amid climate change and give livelihood support to residents in the Delta, he added.

At the meeting, the two ministers also discussed the building of a programme marking the 15th founding anniversary of the framework on climate change adaptation and water resources management between the two countries. They said this is an occasion for countries in the region and the world to learn about the two sides’ efforts to comply with international commitments on climate change response./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency