Arup C40 workshop supports Ho Chi Minh City in developing water management masterplan.
In partnership with the C40, Arup held a workshop today in Ho Chi Minh City to help the city build water resilience against climate change.
- Report executive summary (PDF 1,300kb)
Due to its coastal location and low-lying terrain, Ho Chi Minh City is ranked by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as one of the most vulnerable cities to climate change in the world. The city government is vigorously consulting scientists and experts to improve its climate change adaptation programmes before putting them into operation.
This C40 UrbanLife workshop brought together Arup’s global water, climate change and masterplanning experts to translate global best practice into local context.
The Arup team used analytical tools to address the City’s difficulties in water resource management including urban flooding, groundwater depletion and water salinity. They used this analysis to propose a means for building flexible capacity in the city, leading towards a masterplan for water management and infrastructure.
Following the workshop, Arup will deliver a report containing research analyses, modelling results and recommendations for next steps that could be replicated elsewhere in Vietnam and other port cities around the world.
Department of Natural Resources and Environment Director and Vice Chair of the Ho Chi Minh Climate Change Steering Committee Mr. Dao Anh Kiet thinks that the number of functional agencies now implementing some specialised plans and projects, makes the importance of a masterplan for the city water resource management in relation to climate change crucial. He believes that the Arup C40 workshop is a vital step towards incorporating adaptation into urban decision-making and planning process.
Mark Watts, Arup Director, said: "Arup’s blend of technical expertise, sustainable integrated thinking and policy consulting places us in a unique position to provide realistic solutions to help Ho Chi Minh City respond to the water-related issues they face as a consequence of climate change. The outcome of this workshop could have implications for Ho Chi Minh City over the next 20 to 30 years and we are privileged to be in a position to bring our experience to bear to support such top-level strategic decision-making."
The workshop was the culmination of several months of research and site visits by the Arup team, working closely with the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, and other key stakeholders. The event was managed in a sustainable way and Arup has committed to offset all its related air travel – proceeds will be targeted locally to the Vinh Cuu Reserve, run by WWF.