Adaptation Behaviors of Communities and Households to Extreme Climate Events in Quang Nam Province, Viet Nam: Towards a Set of Possible Adaptation Measures

Climate change and adaptation to its impacts are pressing issues. Great efforts have been made locally to prevent and adapt to climate change events but problems related to climate change are exacerbated in poor communities in developing countries. Understanding local adaptation capacity and responses to climate change events is important so that barriers that constrain adaptation capacity can be identified and solutions to bridge the gaps and enhance local capacity can be sought. Located in the heart of Viet Nam, Quang Nam is one of the poorest provinces in the country. In recent years the province has been affected by more frequent, intense, and extreme climate events. Climate change events such as Xangsane typhoon in 2006, historic floods in 2007, and typhoon Ketsana in 2009, have had a variety of adverse impacts on socio-economic development, particularly in poor communities in disaster-prone areas. Using Quang Nam as a case study province, this report argues that it is essential to understand the coping behaviors of households in the face of a changing climate and accompanying extreme events. This study identifies the adaptation behaviors of local institutions and households in order to determine a set of adaptation possibilities appropriate to Central Viet Nam. The constraints and barriers to implementing a set of adaptation possibilities have been analyzed from different angles, such as the economic status and education level of each household or the adaptation mechanisms of local organizations. This study also outlines lessons learned and policy recommendations for climate change adaptation (CCA) at a household level in Central Viet Nam. The findings reveal that there are various local government units (LGUs), agencies and community organizations involved in adaptation to climate change from provincial to commune level. The Center for Storm and Flood Control plays the most important role in planning and preparedness for adaptation to climate change events. Full-time local staff work in the area of climate change in government units and community organizations. A limited budget, limited knowledge/expertise and a lack of equipment suited to adaptation for climate change events are the main constraints on these local government units and community organizations. At household level, traditional risks such as annual typhoons and floods are ever-present, while new risks, thought to be caused by climate change, are increasing, putting traditional disaster-coping mechanisms under pressure. Households need financial and technical assistance to prevent or minimize the impacts of climate change-induced events. There is a big gap between expected adaptation options and their actual implementation during an extreme climate-change event. The barriers and constraints to implementing climate change adaptation options are various. However, they can be summarized as follows: there are a high percentage of non-disaster resistant houses and infrastructure; there is insufficient access to disaster risk management information and planning; there is a lack of mutual help between people; traditional coping mechanisms are under pressure; there is a lack of emergency response equipment and trained personnel; people have low and instable incomes; and there is limited access to financial resources. Based upon a household survey and discussions with local people, a set of suggestions to overcome these challenges has been recommended. One of the most important recommendations is to improve the housing sector to protect human lives and property, as safe housing could significantly contribute to the resilience of households and is the first defense against the impacts of climate-induced disasters. It is also recommended that support and rescue teams be established in each community, that better emergency information systems and disaster-planning mechanisms are instituted, that awareness of climate change is raised in local communities, that rural infrastructure be upgraded, that environmental sanitation be improved, and that improved productivity and the resulting increase in household incomes are pursued as priorities.