Boats are common means of transport these days of people in the central province of Quang Binh. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - October left devastationfor millions of people in central Vietnam.
In just one month, the region was hit by six storms andtropical depressions, something that was unprecedented according toMinister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong.
The minister, who is also deputy head of the NationalSteering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, said: “Provincesand cities in the central region have experienced two spells of heavyrain with record rainfall. The total rain volume in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh,Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue exceeded the historical toll in 1979 and 1999.Some places recorded rain of up to 800mm per day with total rainfall of morethan 3,000 mm each period.”
In the first 20 days of October, many monitoring stations inlocalities from Ha Tinh to Quang Tri provinces recorded total rainfall three tofive times higher than the annual average in the past 30 years. This explainswhy floodwaters rose very quickly.
Prolonged torrential rain together with severe floodsstarting on October 6 have led to the deaths of at least 157 people. Dozens oflandslide victims are still missing and a village in Quang Nam was wipedout in a night by floods and landslides as villagers were buried in mudand soil.
Among those who have died in were soldiers and officers whowere on rescue missions, workers of hydropower plants and local residentsliving in high-risk areas.
Le Cong Thanh, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment,said natural disasters last month in the central region and the wholecountry were more severe than in 1999 with four consecutive storms, of whichthe ninth storm Molave was the strongest in the past 20 years. But the damagewas less devastating than 1999 thanks to the efforts of the whole community.
Dr Nguyen Xuan Tien, Deputy Director of the HydrometeorologyStation in the north-central region, said: “A series of rains and floods in thecentral region resulted from a complicated weather development. Rain and floodsmay become the ‘new normal’ in the future. Under the impact of climate change,rising sea levels make it difficult for water to escape to the sea and floodsrise higher than before.”
Preparing scenarios
Severe weather conditions in the central region are clearsigns of climate change that Vietnam is facing.
According to experts, planning accurate and detailed climatechange scenarios is a sustainable solution to natural disasters.
Professor Phan Van Tan from the University of Science,Vietnam National University, said climate change scenarios could be applied fordifferent purposes, but the ultimate goal is to develop plans and strategies tocope with climate change.
Responding to climate change includes climate changeadaptation and mitigation. Climate change mitigation is a global issue andrequires a consensus of the international community on reducing greenhouse gasemissions.
Adaptation toclimate change is a local issue of which information from climate changescenarios is the basis for planning and strategy, he said.
Dr Tran Quang Hoai, deputy head of the National SteeringCommittee on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, said learning fromprevious disasters, all localities, including those not in the path of storms,must be prepared for any possible scenario, especially when tropicaldepressions and storms are forecast to be around the East Sea.
“We have to mobilise all sources available on the spot.Waiting for rescue teams from outside the incident sites is not feasible in thecondition of blocked traffic. Landslides last month in Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Triand Quang Nam gave us that lesson.”
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development NguyenHoang Hiep said soldiers and officers were very active in rescue missions butwhat a more professional force is needed. Authorised agencies have reportedthis problem to the Prime Minister.
The current system of coastal dykes is designed to cope withstorms of level 9 and 10 maximum. “We lack the budget to build dykes with abigger resistance capacity,” he said.
The deputy minister said many landslides recently occurred ingeologically-stable areas not on landslide warning maps, so it is necessary toapply science and technology for better landslide prediction.
There are only more than 10 provinces with maps of landsliderisks and deputy minister Hiep raised the issue at a Government pressconference in October and suggested more investment in this work./.
VNA
