The Central Highlands province of Lam Dong is set to devise a series of plans responding to natural and human-caused disasters, including tunnel cave-ins and radioactive substance leaks.

The move will be under a blueprint recently issued by the provincial People’s Committee for the implementation of a master plan to respond to incidents, natural disasters and search and rescue by 2020.

In 2015 and 2016, relevant agencies will design response plans for building and tunnel collapses; radioactive substance, nuclear radiation, and toxic chemical leaks; and fires in buildings, residential areas, industrial parks, markets and trade centres.

Plans to respond to forest fires, dam and reservoir breaks, earthquakes, storms, depressions, floods and landslides will also be outlined.

Lam Dong will strengthen local steering boards and construct basic infrastructure serving disaster prevention and search and rescue activities.

It expects to spend more than 711 billion VND (nearly 33.07 million USD) on the blueprint, including about 545 billion VND (25.35 million USD) for infrastructure building and 166 billion VND (7.72 million USD) for purchasing and producing necessary equipment.

Lam Dong is a mountainous province in the southern Central Highlands, an area susceptible to natural disasters. Mining and hydropower plants are popular across the locality.

In late 2014, a tunnel of the Da Dang-Da Chomo hydropower plant in Lac Duong district caved in. The 12 workers trapped inside were luckily rescued after four days.

Meanwhile, Lam Dong’s capital city of Da Lat has been home to a nuclear reactor for more than 50 years. A 15-megawatt reactor is expected to replace the existing one within the next 10 years.-VNA