Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam is witnessing natural disasters hitting all of its regions throughoutthe year, with strong intensity, wide coverage and increasing extremity and abnormality.

Economic damagecaused by natural disasters to Vietnam has increased in recent years, to anestimated 1-1.5 percent of annual gross domestic product (GDP). Over the past20 years, natural calamities have left 400 people dead or missing each year andgreatly affected the country’s development.

In the first ninemonths of this year, 175 people died or went missing due to natural disasters,which caused economic damage estimated at more than 12.3 trillion VND (530million USD).

In recent years,climate change has intensified, increasing human and property losses.  According to experts from the Programme on ClimateChange and Development of the Vietnam-Japan University under the NationalUniversity Hanoi, Vietnam fails to follow developments of natural disasters andextreme weather because on-the-spot human resources and response means arelimited in many localities.

In addition,disasters now strike localities that have never been hit before, with poor responseexperience, they added.

Another reason for extreme weather is a lack of thorough measures to preventhuman intervention in nature. Nguyen Thi Yen, Climate Change and Disaster RiskReduction Advisor at CARE International in Vietnam, said in the process ofdevelopment and urbanisation, many infrastructure systems have trespassed onwater drainage corridors of rivers, reducing flood prevention capacity. 

Besides, due to limited budget, spending for disaster mitigation is yet tomatch the increasing frequency and intensity of unusual weather patterns, sheadded.

Environmental experts agreed that to enhance climate change adaptation anddisaster prevention capacity, it is necessary to focus on planning work andintegrate it into the long-term socio-economic development plans of eachlocality.

They emphasised the need to account uncertain factors of climate ininfrastructure building investment to ensure resilience to disasters and mapout scenarios for response to natural disasters and extreme weather.

Regarding intermediate solutions, Prof. Dr. Truong Quang Hoc from the Institutefor Natural Resources and Environmental Studies under the National UniversityHanoi, said the forecasting and warning of hydrometeorology, water resources,drought and seawater intrusion was important.

It is necessary to shift to smart agriculture that is adaptive to climatechange, he said, adding that sustainable and climate change-resilientlivelihoods for each sector and region need to be designed and built soon, hesaid.

In the long run, Hoc stressed the need for an overall and long-term view aswell as inter-sector and inter-region approaches in respect to rules of natureand in harmony with nature.

Localities should focus on developing human resources while building the modelof communes safe to natural disasters, he said, adding that it is necessary to drawand implement district-level action plans on climate change adaptation in tandemwith the new-style rural building programme.-VNA