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in order for the Mekong Delta to improve
people's lives.What specific areas of the Mekong Delta
will be affected by climate change?
The Mekong Delta will be affected by
both urbanization and climate change.
Upstream dams are being built for
hydropower and electricity because of
growing demand caused by urbanization
and also for irrigation for the purpose of
agricultural production.
A positive impact of these dams is
that there are less peak water in the
river during rainy season. There are
also negative impacts: These dams are
blocking the sediments and fish. If thereIn 2006 I watched the documentary
An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore
and was touched by this film. Why? It
became clear to me that water is not
about attraction, water is a matter of
life or death. So I decided to use my
profession to contribute to a solution to
this pressing climate change issue.
Together with my wife, I went to
Vietnam's Mekong Delta, which is at
the frontline of climate change. I wrote
the journalistic book Living with the
Mekong about how local people deal with
urban developments and climate change.
The main conclusion of my book was
that we—researchers, locals, NGOs and
investors—need to make a new narrativeEACH YEAR, INCREASINGLY
intense weather events and floods cause
fatalities and damage to infrastructure.
The livelihoods of poor communities
are especially affected by these natural
disasters. Their schools get flooded,
bamboo houses are washed away, and
agricultural land becomes infertile.
Me and Mekong is a solution-driven
film made with and for the local people
in the Mekong Delta. It portrays five
citizens who act now to strengthen their
resilience to climate change. They take
you on a virtual journey through their
delta while showing you a wide range of
issues, from salinization and subsidence
to flooded streets and mangrove
restoration. You'll discover unique
local perspectives on climate change
adaptation.
Joep Janssen, the director of Me and
Mekong, speaks to Oi Vietnam about the
project.
You previously worked in architecture,
what made you shift your focus to the
Mekong Delta and Vietnam?
I worked for an architectural firm and my
main focus was on urban design and that
was interesting because I learnt about
the history of Dutch water cities such as
Amsterdam and Rotterdam. These cities
are based on the integration of spatial
planning and water management. During
my work as an architect I used water as a
design tool to make these typical Dutch
cities more attractive.
A web documentary that portrays five citizens who work
towards a better future for the Mekong Delta
Interview by Christine Van
Images by Thomas van den Berg