Project to reduce impact of heat waves on vulnerable groups in Hanoi

Hanoi (VNA) - A project to minimise the impact of heat waves on vulnerable groups in Hanoi by the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRCS) was launched at a conference in the capital city in November 28.

The project aims to seek measures and early actions based on environmental impact forecasts to reduce negative impacts on outdoor workers and the elderly.

Funded by the Germany Red Cross (GRC) and supported by the Vietnam Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment (IMHEN), the project, which uses “forecast-based financing” (FbF), is hoped to improve the VRCS’s capacity in applying models to adapt to natural disasters.

According to Vice Chairman of the VRCS Tran Quoc Hung, Vietnam is one of the countries most susceptible to natural disasters in the Asia-Pacific region.

The country is also among the five countries hardest hit by disasters and climate change in the world. The country suffers between 10-15 tropical storms and many floods each year.

Vietnam is forecast to face increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters, Hung said.

The average temperature in recent years has increased due to climate change and urbanisation, especially in big cities and crowded residential areas.  

The pilot project aims to develop early actions to respond to high temperatures, towards safeguarding locals from disasters, and helping the VRCS build early action plans for other natural disasters in Vietnam.

Participants also discussed the forecast-based financing model, risks of heat to the health of the community, opportunities for cooperation and concerns and commitments of  parties involved in the project.

The FbF was firstly launched by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent in 2013. The model has been expanded to 22 countries, including three in the Asia Pacific, namely the Philippines, Bangladesh and Vietnam.-VNA