PM urges plans to deal with natural disasters

PM urges plans to deal with natural disasters

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has urged all sectors and localities to review and formulate response plans for natural disasters and incidents.

Speaking during a video conference on natural disaster prevention and control and search rescue work held in Hà Nội on Friday, Phúc asked for the focus to be put on ensuring public safety, while shoring up dykes and irrigation works, especially in the northern mountainous, central, Central Highlands and Mekong Delta regions.

He noted that mountainous provinces, especially the northern mountainous region, needed plans to cope with flash floods and landslides, while central provinces should have measures in place to cope with heavy floods. Central Highlands provinces were asked to prevent flooding while Mekong Delta provinces must be able to cope with strong storms, drought and saltwater intrusion.

The PM called for prioritising resources from the State budget and policies to improve the efficiency of the effort.

The Central Steering Co妹妹ittee on Disaster Prevention and Control and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development were assigned to ensure the safety of  二00 dykes and irrigation works, cultivate crops adapted to disasters, and ensure food security.

The National Co妹妹ittee on Disaster Response and Search and Rescue and the Ministry of National Defence were responsible for pooling equipment to cope with disasters and holding response drills.

PM Phúc also lauded the entire political system for promptly engaging in the effort. He also hailed more accurate disaster forecasting.

Last year, the Government spent more than VNĐ 一0. 三 trillion (US$ 四 四 七 million) from the central budget and other sources to support post-disaster recovery.

Thanks to sci-tech application and international cooperation, a number of solutions had been recently taken to ease drought in the Mekong Delta, he said.

Facing the complicated developments of natural disasters, the PM urged ministries, agencies and localities to fully grasp and follow the Secretariat’s Decree No 四 二-CT/TW on strengthening Party leadership on disaster prevention and control, as well as strengthening disaster prevention and control from the central to grassroots levels.

Since the beginning of this year, the country has suffered seven downpours and hailstorms, serious drought and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta, and  一 一 earthquakes and landslides.

As of late April, these disasters had left  一 一 dead or missing, and destroyed or damaged more than  四 四,000 houses and over  一00,000ha of crops. The total economic loss was estimated at over VNĐ 三. 一 trillion.

According to the National Centre for Hydrometeorology Forecast, about  一 一- 一 三 storms and tropical low pressure fronts would hit the East Sea between now and the year-end, with  五- 六 making landfall in the central and southern regions. — VNS