Natural disaster mitigation was discussed on March 29
Natural disaster mitigation was discussed at a meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Hanoi on March 29.
According to Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong, Vietnam has suffered severe damage and deaths from many types of natural disasters in the past 20 years. About 400 people were killed and went missing and the country suffered losses of between 1%-1.5% GDP a year.
About 12 storms and tropical depressions are formed or arrive on the East Sea every year, of which five to six storms will directly affect the continents. In 1985, Storm Cecil killed 901 people and destroyed 69,000 houses in Binh Tri Thien. Storm Linda in 1997 took away the lives of nearly 3,000 people and caused damage to over 3,000 ships.
Last year, 16 storms and four tropical depressions affected the country’s waters. Two storms swept through the north and south central coasts, killing 386 people and causing VND60trn (USD2.60bn) in damage, three times higher than in previous years.
Floods and landslides also resulted in grave consequences. Five consecutive floods in late 2016 killed 129 people.
The mountainous provinces in the northern region suffered from 300 flashfloods and landslides which are becoming more severe in the past two decades. Last year, flash floods occurred in various provinces such as Son La, Hoa Binh and Quang Nam, resulting in 71 people killed and missing, and 4,109 houses were destroyed.
Drought and saltwater intrusion have also become an urgent problem, affecting over 2 million people and causing over VND15.70trn (USD634m) in damages.
The Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control said the disasters had become more unpredictable and severe. This can easily be observed after heavy rains and off-seasons rains. Floods are becoming more common and droughts last longer and more widespread. The South Central Coast and Southern Region have seen more storms than usual.
According to the committee, Vietnam faces more risks due to rapid but unsustainable infrastructure and economic developments.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said that they had invested in natural disaster mitigation constructions in recent the past years such as reservoirs and embankments.