Vietnam loses 860 million USD to natural disasters last year
Vietnam recorded 224 persons dead and missing and economic losses of nearly 20 trillion VND (859.5 million USD) in natural disasters in 2018, according to the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.
A mass of earth and rocks caused by a landslide blocks a road linking northern Lai Chau and Lao Cai provinces on July 11 (Photo: VNA)
Ca Mau (VNA) – Vietnam recorded 224 persons dead andmissing and economic losses of nearly 20 trillion VND (859.5 million USD) innatural disasters in 2018, according to the Central Steering Committee forNatural Disaster Prevention and Control.
At a meeting in the southernmost province of CaMau, the committee said although natural disasters last year were not as severeas in 2017, many serious ones and extreme weather conditions still occurrednationwide.
In the southern region alone, 441 riverbank andcoastal erosions with a total length of over 834km caused 10 people dead andmissing, injured 13 others, pulled down 320 houses and damaged more than 17,500others.
Total losses caused by natural disasters hereapproximated 118 billion VND.
Vice Chairman of the Ca Mau People’s CommitteeLe Van Su said his province has been seriously affected by climate change,including abnormal storms, tropical depressions, whirlwinds, sea-level rise anddrought.
Since the beginning of 2018, natural disasters,especially whirlwind and tidal surge, have triggered riverbank and coastalerosions, killing seven people, damaging over 1,600 houses, and flooding morethan 2,400ha of crops. Total property losses have topped 57 billion VND, henoted.
At the meeting, UNDP Resident Representative inVietnam Caitlin Wiesen said natural disasters and climate change are the issuesthat require close coordination among ministries and provinces to be dealtwith. The Mekong Delta is an example of natural disaster and climate changeimpact.
She added the UNDP wishes to enhance cooperationwith the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Controland the country’s Disaster Management Authority to carry out many activities tohelp build a more sustainable and prosperous Vietnam.
Highlighting tasks to prepare for theapproaching stormy season, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentNguyen Hoang Hiep said southern localities need to accelerate the constructionof facilities that are meant to deal with riverbank and coastal erosion; andupgrade sea dykes, bridges, saltwater intrusion preventing culverts and dams,anti-flooding facilities and irrigation systems.
It is also necessary to boost cooperation withforeign partners and countries along the Mekong River in natural disasterprevention and control, particularly in fighting cross-border flooding andadapting to climate change, the official said.-VNA
Four central provinces will receive assistance in coping with natural disasters under the third phase of a project sponsored by the Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), which was launched during a workshop held on June 25.
Vietnam’s search and rescue forces will maintain round-the-clock duty so as to give timely response to natural disasters, particularly when the flood and storm season is coming.
There is a high risk of drought in the central and south-central coastal provinces as the dry season is forecast to extend to August and even September of 2019, according to Hoang Phuc Lam, Deputy Director of the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF).
Natural disasters have taken a heavy toll on the north-central province of Thanh Hoa over recent years. To be more resilient to the disasters this year, the province has been repairing and upgrading dykes and other irrigation systems as the rainy season is just around the corner.
Heavy downpours in the northern mountainous province of Cao Bang from July 13 night to the next day submerged 918 local houses, said the office of the provincial steering committee on disaster response, search and rescue.
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A mass of earth and rocks caused by a landslide blocks a road linking northern Lai Chau and Lao Cai provinces on July 11 (Photo: VNA) 
