The People’s Committee of the central province of Binh Dinh approved a project to reduce the risk of floods in the lower areas of the Ha Thanh and Kon rivers.

The 476,000 USD project, funded by the Institute for Social and Environmental Transition, will run from the end of 2014 to late 2015.

The project aims to increase the resilience of local residents to cope with climate change, while reducing the impact and risks of flooding.

As part of the project, residents will be provided with up-to-date information on flood conditions on the two river systems and in lower areas, as well as the creation of a flood map network for Nhon Phu and Nhon Binh districts in the city of Quy Nhon.

Additionally, the project aims to make local infrastructure more resilient to climate change and natural disasters, including safe houses and improved access to clean water, as well as improving residents’ understanding of climate change and natural disaster risk management in the community. Four monitoring stations and multi-functional houses will be constructed, and a text message early warning programme will be set up.

The Ha Thanh and Kon rivers traverse the province and often cause floods, threatening the day-to-day lives of more than 40,000 households during the rainy season.-VNA