Japan shares experience in natural disaster mitigation
The application of policies and advanced technologies from Japan towards reducing the damage caused by floods and landslides was highlighted at a seminar held in Hanoi on November 9 by the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority (VDMA) in collaboration with the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism.
Damage caused by a storm in Lao Cai last October (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) –The application ofpolicies and advanced technologies from Japan towards reducing the damagecaused by floods and landslides was highlighted at a seminar held in Hanoi onNovember 9 by the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority (VDMA) in collaborationwith the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism.
The event is significant for disaster prevention and mitigation in Vietnam.
As a country hard-hit by natural calamities, Japan spent an average of 1.2percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), equivalent to 60 billion USDduring the 2010-2016 period, on the implementation of disaster prevention,response, recovery, and rehabilitation programmes.
According to Yusuke Sakai, a representative from Japan’s National Institute ofAdvanced Industrial Science and Technology, the construction of sabo dams – a leadingmodel in channels for debris flow control – is one of the most effective measuresto reduce the damage of landslides.
Sabo dams are built at the upstream areas of rivers where they suppress theflow of sediment.
At the event, participants also introduced some state-of-the-art technologiesused in natural disaster mitigation in Japan, including a global satellitemapping of precipitation (GSMaP) and a global high-resolution 3D map service(AW3D).
Head of the VDMA Tran Quang Hoai said that Vietnam is among the countriesfacing the most severe impact of climate change. The country has suffered from20 out of the 21 forms of natural disasters, only being sparred by a tsunami.
Flash floods and landslides have created critical losses to Vietnam, accountingfor 10.1 percent of the total loss in terms of human and assets caused by naturaldisasters, he added.
Nguyen Trung Kien, from the Department of Science-Technology and InternationalCooperation under the VDMA, said that previous research on flash floods andlandslides have made significant contributions to lessening risks caused by futurenatural disasters.
However, he stressed that the research should be made more detailed to ensureprecise forecasting and suitable responses to natural calamities.
In the time to come, competent authorities should immediately implement theGovernment’s Decree No.76/NQ-CP dated on June 18, 2018 and the Prime Minister’sDirection No.19/CT-TTG dated July 13, 2018 on the prevention of naturaldisasters. Furthermore, preventative works should be put in place, including a pilotmonitoring system, warning map system, and early flood warning system, amongothers. –VNA
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Damage caused by a storm in Lao Cai last October (Photo: VNA) 
