PHÒNG CHỐNG BÃO ! – Prevent storm damage – Prévention des catastrophes naturelles

On the occasion of the national Disaster Reduction Day of Viet Nam (22^nd May), DWF organised a demonstration in 14 communes partners of Thua Thien Hue Province (which implement the ECHO funded Disaster Prevention project), to diffuse the letter from the President of Viet Nam on reminding people about disaster prevention as well as to celebrate this important day.  DWF organised two groups, one started from the north of the province at Phong Binh commune, and then moved to Quang Phu, Quang Vinh, Quang Tho, and Huong Chu communes. Another started from the south in Vinh Hien, and included Vinh Hai, Vinh Phu, Vinh Ha, Vinh Thai, Phu Da, Thuy Thanh communes.. And finally, the two groups met each other in Thuy Xuan commune, near Hue City.  

Each commune prepared and was ready to participate in the demonstration with cadres of the Commune Damage Prevention Committee, and people with motorbikes and flags. The demonstration stopped at each commune and picked them up. It started at 1 p.m and finished at 5:30 p.m at the same day.During the travel, the bus stopped in many places and the President message as well as others Disaster prevention messages was diffused with loudspeakers.  In the final meeting in Thuy Xuan, Mr. Phan Thanh Hung, Chief of Provincial Flood and Storm Control office, reminded this day in over 61 years before, in 1946 and cheered for the activity that DWF organised this year. At the same time, he also hoped DWF and the commune partners would have a good collaboration and relationship. The meeting was also the chance for the cadres of communes to communicate and exchange the experiences.  The weather was very hot, and the harvest time with rice straw on the roads made it difficult to travel. But with the effort and enthusiasm of the participants of the communes and the team of DWF, the demonstration was successful and was highly appreciated by the local authorities and people.

Vietnam could incur losses totaling US$17 billion per year and 17 million people will lose their residence if the sea level increases by 1m, an international conference heard Tuesday in Hanoi.  At a conference entitled, “Biodiversity and climate change: Links with poverty and sustainable development”, international experts read a report that said 12.2 percent of Vietnam’s most fertile land was likely to be lost if the sea level rises by 1m, causing the substantial financial losses and resettlement.Climate change could cause the sea level in Vietnam to increase by up to 15cm by 2010 and up to 90cm by 2070, delegates told the meeting.Besides, 33 percent of preserves and 27 percent of major biodiversity areas in Vietnam would be impacted, they said.Vietnam has some of the highest levels of biodiversity degradation in the world due to ecological damage, deforestation, and pollution of water resources, the Vietnamese Committee on Water and Environment pointed out.The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment also predicted that of 17 million affected residents, 14 million are from the Mekong Delta region.It warned 40,000 sq.km of the plain and 1,700 sq.km of coastal areas in affected provinces of Ca Mau, Kien Giang, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, and Thanh Hoa would be subject to flooding.Delegates believed the unpredictable climate changes would trigger more devastating storms and typhoons in the future.They also conferred on measures and strategies to tackle the climate change.Representatives from the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, the Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the International Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the World Wildlife Fund attended the meeting, which wraps up today. 

Story from Thanh Nien News
Published: 23 May, 2007, 11:10:19 (GMT+7)