26/08/2008
Development Workshop France (DWF) is very pleased to announce that the 2008 World Habitat Award has been awarded to the DWF project in Central Viet Nam « Preventing Typhoon Damage to Housing in Central Viet Nam”, which over the past 9 years has, through animated public awareness raising and demonstration, successfully promoted the preventive strengthening of houses against the effects of floods and typhoons. The value of applying the DWF ten key points of typhoon resistant construction that are promoted by the project has been clearly demonstrated by the good performance of strengthened buildings in the face of disasters events such as typhoon Xangsane in 2006 and the long flooding in 2007.
Central Viet Nam is hit each year by an increasing number of floods and storms and some 60% of the population regularly face severe damage or loss of their homes, with consequent economic loss and increased poverty. Since 2000 the DWF Viet Nam team has worked with families and local government to apply the key principles to both existing and new homes and to public buildings such as schools, kindergartens and markets. More than 1 300 home have been made stronger with support from the project, but many other families have chosen to adopt these safety principles when repairing or rebuilding their own homes. Credit provided by DWF and Vietnamese banks specifically for house strengthening is opening this possibility to more families.
Communicating these basic principles of safe construction is at the heart of the DWF programme activities. Hundreds of builders have been trained to apply the safety techniques. Ongoing awareness raising activities with partner communes develop a widespread understanding of damage prevention amongst the community and their leaders, and in schools teachers and school children take active part in spreading knowledge about ‘safe construction’.
Local and provincial government have become active supporters of the DWF Viet Nam programme, and the safe construction principles advocated by DWF are shared with other NGO and other countries on SE Asia, including recently devastated Myanmar.
The achievements of the DWF programme in Central Viet Nam would not have been possible without the active participation – and committed financial contribution – of the families and the Commune and Provincial People’s Committees of Thua Thien Hue province, and the World Habitat Award is above all recognition of this collaborative effort to make people’s lives and living conditions safer against future hazards.
DWF also takes this opportunity to thank its principle donors, CIDA (Canada), ECHO (European Commission Humanitarian Aid) and the Ford Foundation for their generous support over the years.
23/08/2008HANOI, 22 August 2008 (IRIN) - Aid officials say emergency supplies have reached nearly all of those affected by recent heavy flooding in northern Vietnam. But as clean-up efforts continue, the country faces a fresh assault as river levels rise dangerously in the south.
"Because of global warming, Vietnam is experiencing more floods and disasters," said Setsuko Yamazaki, director of the UN Development Programme, addressing an inter-agency briefing this week on the damage done by the latest storm.
A total of 133 people were killed and 34 are missing after tropical storm Kammuri hit Vietnam 7-9 August, government officials said. Many residents died in their sleep when mudslides crushed their homes. Large swaths of rice fields were literally swept away, taking with them families' livelihoods.
In the province of Lao Cai, 18 percent of farming land was destroyed, said Tran Van Tuan, manager of the Natural Disaster Mitigation Partnership, which is coordinating with national and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and donors to respond to the humanitarian emergency.
Inter-agency assessment teams made up of NGOs, UN agencies, and government experts were dispatched to the hardest hit provinces after the floods hit. At a meeting in Hanoi on 20 August the teams reported that most of the floodwaters had receded and short-term relief was getting to villages previously cut off from aid.
18,000 homes damaged
But in order to repair more than 18,000 damaged houses and clean out 19,000 hectares of rice fields, longer-term aid will be needed, stressed the assessment teams.
"The government has been very active in helping victims," said Luu Quang Dai of the NGO Plan International who recently returned from surveying the damage in Phu Tho Province. "But the area is too much. It will take more than a year to recover. [In that time] many people will fall below the poverty line."
There were also concerns that many children will not be able to attend school this autumn. The government said 165 classrooms had collapsed or were washed away. At least 100 more are filled with rocks and mud. The assessment teams said families devastated by the storm would also have a difficult time paying tuition fees or buying books.
Early warning systems
In some areas, early warning systems have been installed to alert residents to evacuate. But when the waters rose, many of the alarms failed to go off.
"We do have some flood warning devices," said Le Thanh Du, deputy director of the Agriculture and Rural Department for Lao Cai Province. "It's just a pilot programme and it didn't work well. On that day, the electricity was cut off so the bell did not ring to warn the local people. I think if we have a comprehensive flood warning system, people living in flood areas could evacuate before the floods come."
Bracing for floods in south
As the northern provinces struggle to recover from the storm, 1,500km to the south, farmers in the Mekong Delta are bracing for a deluge of water dumped by the tropical storm days earlier in Laos and Cambodia. The water, which hit record levels in those countries, is flowing rapidly down the Mekong river into southern Vietnam.
"The water level is now at 3.3m and rising 7-8cm a day," Nguyen Van Khang, director of Agriculture and Rural Development in Tien Giang Province, told IRIN on 23 August. "The biggest threat now is that the flood coming from upstream could be combined with high tides."
Most of the summer rice crop has already been harvested, assuaging fears that the floodwaters will cause any immediate economic damage to Vietnam's rice basket. But preparations were under way to evacuate some 1,200 people if the waters rise much higher, noted Khang.
Unlike northern and central Vietnam, the Mekong is not subject to flash floods or landslides which cause most of the flood-related deaths. But when rivers burst their banks, entire villages can quickly become inundated. And, said Khang, the worst is probably yet to come: "We don't even reach the peak of the flood season until 15 September," he said.
Source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)
Date: 22 Aug 2008
A meeting was held at the UNDP headquarters in Hanoi on Wednesday 20th August to brief stakeholders from Government, UN agencies, donors and NGOs on the results of the Disaster Management Working Group (DMWG) Joint Rapid Damage and Needs Assessments in Lao Cai, Yen Bai and Phu Tho provinces.
Three joint assessment teams visited the provinces most affected by the flooding that followed Storm No.4 (Typhoon Kummuri) from the 14th – 17th August. The teams visited a number of districts and communes in each province to collect detailed information on damage and community needs as a result of the flooding. The teams, deployed as part of a coordinated effort between the DMWG and the People’s Aid Coordination Committee (PACCOM), included members from PACCOM and a number of NGOs.
Following an update on official damage information and Government response activities given by NDMP (available below), each team presented their findings based on the information collected in each province. The overall assessment was that the Government at all levels was very active in responding to community needs, but that in some areas, the scale of the damage meant it was beyond the capacity of local authorities to meet some of the communities’ needs. It was also pointed out that while assessment teams were sent to the three most affected provinces, at least five more provinces had suffered some loss as a result of the storm and subsequent flooding.
NDMP will post electronic copies of each of the presentations from the meeting on this website (see below), as well as comprehensive reports from each of the joint assessment teams as soon as they are available.
The briefings made clear that some additional support will be necessary and now NDMP is calling on all stakeholders to share information regarding any planned or existing activities in response to this disaster. NDMP will regularly update information on this website to promote coordination and harmonization among responding agencies
The reporting meeting was hosted by the UN Natural Disasters and Emergencies Programme Coordination Group (UN NDE PCG) and co-chaired by Prof. Dr. Dao Xuan Hoc of the Central Committee for Flood and Storm Control (CCFSC) and Vice Minister of the Ministry for Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), Ms Setsuko Yamazaki, UNDP Country Director, and Mr Jesper Morch, UNICEF Representative in Vietnam. Other participants included representatives from PACCOM, the DMWG, the Disaster Management Centre, NDMP and a large number of donors and NGOs.
NDMP's presentation
JAT Report in Lao Cai
JAT Report in Phu Tho
JAT Report in Yen Bai
20/08/2008
VietNamNet Bridge – So far this year, tens of children have been reported drowned in the Mekong Delta, where there are tortuous systems of rivers and canals.
The Mekong Delta is the land of water. There are around 28,000km of rivers, canals and many ponds, lakes, etc., which pose risks for local children.
People in Phu Loc town, Thanh Tri district, Soc Trang province still remember the heart-breaking deaths of three secondary school pupils last summer. These pupils, 11-12 years old, went swimming together in a canal near their houses when their parents were not at home. None of them could swim.
Over one month ago, three other pupils in Soc Trang city, Soc Trang province also drowned in an irrigation canal. The three children, 8, 9 and 10 years old, were hunting for field crabs and snails and they lost their footing in the deep water.
Ly Xiep, the father of a drowned child, said most children in his area can’t swim. Their parents are very poor and they are busy working so they don’t have time to teach their children how to swim, Xiep said.
In Hong Ngu town, Dong Thap province, nearly two months ago two brothers drowned in a pond. Tran Van Ut, the father of the these children, 9 and 7 years old, said the boys couldn’t swim and they several times asked his permission to go bathing in a near-by pond but the father didn’t give his consent. However, the boys were curious and they furtively went swimming in the pond and drowned.
Also at around the same time, a 12-year-old boy was reported dead from drowning in Long Xuyen city, An Giang province.
Holes at construction sites are also dangers for children. Recently, an 8-year-old drowned in such a hole in Bac Lieu town, Bac Lieu province.
Children must learn to swim themselves
Five pupils who couldn’t swim died in a shipwreck several months ago in My Xuyen district, Soc Trang province. The boat rower, Nguyen Van Trieu, who has had this job for more than 10 years, lost a daughter, 12.
After this case, everyone started asking the question: “How many children in the Mekong Delta have died of drowning? And how do local children learn to swim?”
According to the Health Ministry’s statistics, an average of 30 children die in Vietnam every day because of injuries, including over ten from drowning.
Because of hot weather, many children in the Mekong Delta go swimming in ponds, lakes, rivers. In early April 2008, the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs sent a special dispatch to all provinces asking local authorities to combine with families, schools and related agencies to teach children how to swim, but many provinces haven’t followed the request.
Some agencies in the Mekong Delta said they want to teach children swimming but they don’t have money. Some local Departments of Education and Training say the Ministry of Education and Training didn’t tell them to teach swimming at schools so pupils have to learn swimming themselves.
Recently, a businessman named Le Thanh Tuan, General Director of the Sao Mai Investment and Construction JS Company in An Giang province, sent an open letter to Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan expressing his wish to partly contribute to the community by preventing drowning among children.
After Tuan’s open letter, some composite companies in Nam Dinh province said they were willing to cooperate with Tuan’s company to produce special paper cases which become lifebuoys when they come in contact with water.
Note from DWF : Many NGO's (Oxfam, SC...) have swimming training prgrammes for children and adults (mainly women) in Mekong Delta. 19/08/2008
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Recent floods in Ho Chi Minh City have forced city officials to re-think their long-term flood-proofing plans.
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A deluge on August 1 left many Ho Chi Minh City streets knee-deep in water.
Reports from the HCMC Urban Drainage Company found 73 areas flooded to depths of between 20-60 centimeters.
Later, after more heavy rain on August 12, there were 40-60 centimeters of water on some of the city’s main streets.
Both floods caused severe traffic jams.
Nguyen Ngoc Cong, head of the HCMC Bureau of Water Management and Flood Prevention, said the city should develop annual, mid-term and long-term policies to solve the flood problem.
On August 9, the city administration began a short-term flood prevention project that will run until the end of the year.
The city Department of Transportation was assigned 15 flood prevention projects while the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development was ordered to speed up work on dikes and river dredging.
At the same time, the city’s Flood Prevention Center will work with its Urban Drainage Company to install walls along Tan Hoa – Lo Gom Canal to prevent flooding tides.
The center will also pump rain water out of the area.
Cong said these short-term solutions will reduce flooding by 50 percent.
Mid-term projects include drainage and canal improvement works around the inner city.
Two projects, funded by Overseas Development Aid (ODA), of this kind are being carried out.
The first one is the HCMC Environmental Sanitation Project at Nhieu Loc – Thi Nghe Canal, scheduled to finish in late 2009.
The other one, a Water Environment Improvement Project in Tau Hu, Ben Nghe, Doi and Te canals, is scheduled for completion in 2014.
The first phase of the project, which includes waste-water treatment works, will be finished in March 2010.
The second phase will last from 2009 to 2014 and will improve the water environment in districts 4, 6 and 8.
The most costly project is long-term and requires funding of more than VND11.5 trillion (US$692 million).
Initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, this scheme is designed to lower the tides in the city’s main waterways and improve drainage in the city’s low-lying areas.
The project will also help minimize tides and flooding from parts of the Sai Gon – Soai Rap, Vam Co Dong and Dong Nai rivers.
The ministry has also asked HCMC administration to prevent people from filling in lakes or canals, where water from the inner city will be pumped during high tides.
At that time the rivers cannot receive much more water.
Studies already estimated that the city’s total area of lakes, canals and other places that can contain water must not be less than 15 percent of the city area itself.
Nguyen Ngoc Cong said this package should solve the city’s flooding problem.
The project is expected to be approved by the government this month, he said. |
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Relief services will be managed by one state agency – the Fatherland Front – and businesses and press agencies will no longer be able to individually distribute aid, according to a recent government decision.
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Money to support victims of disasters had previously been sent to large press agencies, but now will be pooled in a relief fund controlled by the Front, said Ha Thi Lien, an officer of the agency.
Vu Trong Kim, general secretary of the agency’s central committee, said the committee will meet Monday to talk about creating relief services departments in different localities.
To support the victims of tropical storm Kammuri in the north, Kim said the Front has campaigned nationwide to raise funds and local branches of the agency have already launched operations to receive and distribute relief aid to victims, even though specific relief departments have yet to be formed.
“The Front won’t distribute aid directly to victims but will transfer the money to provincial administrations, which then will dispense the funds to district and communal authorities,” Lien said.
It will take at most 15 days for the aid to reach designated recipients.
The agency will transfer aid to its local branches by issuing money transfer notes to expedite the process.
It is necessary for the funds to be transferred through intermediate stages because, according to Lien, “commune authorities are most knowledgeable about the damage that local residents suffer.”
There were times victims had to wait for up to six months before receiving aid because funds had been sent to different agencies, some of which didn’t know how to distribute money fairly, according to Lien.
The Front will use the media to inform the public about aid distribution in different localities as well as send officers to inspect the relief services in the areas as a follow-up.
As relief funds will be centralized under the management of one agency, the Front can allocate portions of aid for long-term disaster support such as building hospitals, schools and other infrastructure for local victims, Lien said.
Do Viet Duc, manager of the Ministry of Finance’s State Budget Department, said according to the new mandate on managing relief aid, any agencies mobilizing aid will first have to get permission from local Front branches – except press agencies and charity funds.
Additionally, relief departments will have to allot funds to specific victims if donors specify such stipulations.
Duc said the Ministry of Finance will cooperate with the Fatherland Front to closely monitor how relief money is used. |
NONG KHAI, 18 August 2008 (IRIN) - It is 4pm and Pranee Soongkhaeng is hurriedly piling up sandbags in a bid to prevent flooding in front of her shop on Meechai Street in Nhon Khai Province, northeast Thailand, close to the Mekong river bank. Sandbags are stacked in front of every row of houses along the riverside road to prevent inundation.
"The water level of the Mekong river keeps rising and now it's reached the street in front of my house," Pranee told IRIN. "We don't know when the water is going to recede because this is just the beginning of the monsoon season."
The Mekong river has exceeded its highest recorded level of 12.38 metres in 1966, inundating homes and farmland from 9 August in the northern province of Chiang Rai all the way to the northeastern province of Nakhon Panom. Floods which, according to the Interior Ministry, are the worst in 100 years, have caused estimated damage of 223 million baht (US$66.5 million) thus far in Thailand.
In the northeastern province of Nong Khai, the river level was measured at 13.20 metres on 16 August, according to the Water Resources Department.
Disaster zones
Overflows from the river caused floodwater up to two metres deep in Sang Kom and Sri Chiang Mai districts, leaving hundreds of homes submerged and several roads impassable for small vehicles.
The Nong Khai provincial disaster prevention office declared the two riverside districts disaster zones and in need of clean water and waterborne disease prevention.
Thailand's Water Resources Department director-general Siripong Hungspreuk said heavy downpours from upstream China and Laos, as well as in upper northern Thailand caused the river to reach such high levels.
Although the authorities expect the flood waters to recede during the coming week, riverside communities along the Mekong are still being warned to brace themselves for possible flash flooding and evacuate their belongings to higher ground, Siripong said.
Water from the Mekong river has overflowed its banks and inundated villages and farmland not only in Thailand but also in the other three Mekong river basin countries - Cambodia,Laos and Vietnam.
Cambodia's Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology has warned residents in upper Stung Treng, Kratie and Kampong Cham Provinces to be vigilant for flash flooding and prepare for evacuation to higher ground, and large areas of both Laos and Vietnam have been inundated.
In Laos, four people were killed in flooding and landslides last week. Police have closed roads leading to the riverbank in Vientiane to make it easier for trucks delivering sandbags. A levée was built along the river's northern bank after flooding in some parts of the city. Despite severe floods, the former capital of Luang Prabang has escaped flood damage to its ancient Buddhist temples and pagodas, the official Vientiane Times reported.
China dams suspected
In Thailand, some local residents and environmentalists told IRIN they suspected Chinese dams and the destruction of small Mekong river islands to clear passage for Chinese cargo ships had aggravated flooding in the region. They also blamed the Mekong River Commission (MRC) - set up in 1995 by the governments of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam to manage the Mekong river - for failure to warn people about the flooding.
However, MRC issued a statement on 15 August saying the present situation was the result of abnormally high water runoff in the northern part of the Mekong basin following heavy rainfall caused by tropical storm Kammuri which pasted through 9-11 August.
Montree Chantawong, campaign coordinator of the Bangkok-based Towards Ecological Recovery and Regional Alliance, told IRIN: "Although it cannot be said for sure that the Chinese dams were to blame for the inundation, they are certainly contributing to ecological and hydrological changes in the river."
Somkiat Khuaenchiangsa, a coordinator of the Chiang Khong Conservation Group, urged the MRC members to reassess the need for dams in China and Laos since the planned construction could effect the water flow and the hydrology of the lower Mekong basin.
"We cannot underestimate how intense rainstorms and flooding will be, but we can prevent or lessen the damage caused by man-made disaster," Somkiat said.
Source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)
Date: 18 Aug 2008 18/08/2008
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| Bereaved search: The rocky area where the hamlet stood just a few days ago. Local villagers are trying their best to discover bodies in Tung Chin Village in the northern mountain province of Lao Cai, where rains from the storm Kammuri led to a flash flood that covered the entire hamlet. — VNA/VNS Photo Xuan Truong |
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| Treading water: A section of National Highway 4E from Bao Thang District to Lao Cai Province’s centre has been damaged and flooded. It’s reported that the flood had swept away dozens more people and devastated rice crops in the province. — VNA/VNS Photo Tuan Anh |
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| Submerged: Prolonged rain and floods have collapsed and flooded more than 1,500 houses in Lang Son Province. Many people have had to travel by boat to buy food and necessities for their family members. Loss on properties has not yet been reported. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Ha |
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Aftermath: Pham Thi Ut, a resident in Dien Bien Province, is worried about where her family will live as her house has been partly damaged by a flash flood. — VNA/VNS Photo Manh Thanh |
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Helping hands: Many soldiers have helped people re-build dyke sections which have been damaged by floods in Song Thao Town in Phu Tho Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Huy Hung |
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Reporter’s notebook
It’s Sunday night, I came to the rocky area where the hamlet stood just a few days ago. It’s silent and cold. I shivered thinking I was the only living creature there. I was wrong.
A dog followed my every step and I recognised her from earlier in the afternoon. She seemed to be very hungry, so I fed her my last biscuit. She wolfed it down but still kept a cautious distance. I returned to Nung’s house alone.
A few hours later when it began raining, I went to the rocky area to find the dog. She was still sitting near a rock and refused to take shelter. I realised then that the dog was sitting on the floor of her owners’ house, waiting for their return. I prayed under my breath that her family survived and would return to fetch their faithful dog. — VNS | |
(17-08-2008)
When flash flooding last weekend hit an unexpecting hamlet, it took 19 lives with it and wiped out 20 households. Ta Thu Giang writes and Xuan Truong reports in Lao Cai Province and Truong Giang reports in Ha Giang Province.
A flash flood in the aftermath of storm Kammuri has taken an entire hamlet in the northern mountain province of Lao Cai off the map, and 19 lives with it.
Leaving behind a gaping hole of debris, many are left homeless and panicking over missing family members and neighbours. Twenty households with more than 100 people in the hamlet living near a stream in Bat Xat District were affected. Hundreds of people from neighbouring hamlets have spent the past few days walking along the stream, searching for bodies, but only two have since been recovered.
Ly Kin Nung, one of the survivors, said his family narrowly escaped death thanks to a large rock by his house which diverted the raging waters away from his home. While the flood may be over, his house is still filled with water, and dozens of rice and corn sacks continue to rot.
"We will move to a new hamlet in the next few days along with other flood survivors," he said
Cooking dinner in the yard while listening to the sounds of crashing rocks caught up in the stream’s current, Nung’s wife, Tan Mui Den, is still scared.
"I don’t want to live here anymore. I need to live together with others," she said.
Nung recalled the Saturday night when he was sleeping in the paddy fields. The heavy rain and thunder reminded him of mortar fire.
"I ran to the top of the hill and saw the whole hamlet underwater. My mind reeled at the sight and I fainted," recalled Nung.
Nung lost both his mother and aunt to the flood. When it hit, his mother was sleeping with his three nephews and his niece in the house. The three children fled, but their old grandmother couldn’t make it out in time.
After hearing the children’s cries for help, Nung’s aunt went in to rescue his mother. Neither was seen again, as the house collapsed and killed both of them. Their bodies have yet to be found.
A child’s tale
Fourteen year-old Tan U May, a student at Trinh Tuong Junior Secondary School, does not live in the hamlet, but is here to find her closest friend who has the same name.
Her friend, Phan Ta May, was likely swept away by the flash floods last Saturday.
"My friend was pretty and always did great in her studies," said a tearful May, adding that the new school year was about to begin. The classroom will now have 11 empty seats because of the floods.
Vang Kim Tin, deputy head of the hamlet, said that after the flash flood passed, local border-guard soldiers rushed immediately to help the victims. They found some taking shelter on the hillsides and brought them to the border-guard post.
While shaking his head, Tin recalled that the hamlet had been one of the richer ones in Trinh Tuong Commune before the disaster.
It was midnight. Fourteen-year-old Giang Seo Chu had just come back home to Tung Cum Village in Ha Giang Province after watching the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics live on television.
When he came to where his house had been, all that he found was the floor under water. The flood had taken his house, along with his parents and four brothers.
Chairman of Na Khuong Commune People’s Committee Ly Van Hao said that the heavy rain and flooding has swept away ten people from two families in Tung Cum and Lung Vi villages, including six children. Two of those children are reported as missing, as their bodies have yet to be found.
Hao said that five children are now orphaned and homeless.
Back on track
Luckily, the rain has finally stopped. Relevant sectors have jointly opened a new road and are building a new hamlet. Everyone available is searching for the bodies of those who died. The victims now need financial and emotional support to ease the pain and help them overcome this tragedy.
According to the deputy director of the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting Nguyen Lan Chau, the ground of northern mountain provinces has been soaked. This means that flash flooding will continue to threaten northern mountain provinces from now to the end of October when the rainy season ends.
The flash floods will not only hit northern areas, but also the Central region, if hit with another wave of heavy rain.
It’s reported that the number of flash floods has been steadily increasing. In the 15 years from 1990 to 2005, there were nearly 300 flash floods in Viet Nam, 10 of which caused extensive losses of both property and lives.
Director of the Hydro-meteorology and Water Research Centre La Thanh Ha said that climate change was causing an increasing number of storms and rain anomalies.
"The people’s destruction of the forest is partly causing the flash floods," said Ha.
Although it’s difficult to forecast flash flooding, many experts believe that if people knew how to take the initiative to deal with them, losses could be reduced.
Doctor Vu Cao Minh from the Viet Nam Technology Science Institute, said people could not live with regular flash flooding like they do with normal flooding in the Cuu Long Mekong Delta.
"We need to remember that it’s very difficult to forecast flash flooding because it is sudden and quick and always takes place at night. With its devastating effects, we’d be deluding ourselves to think that we can fight it," said Minh.
People living in flash flood-prone areas need to take the initiative to minimise damages. People should not build houses along rivers and streams and need to pay attention to strange phenomena during periods of heavy rain.
Relocation
Doctor Ha said that northern mountain provinces were building resettlement areas. However, they were facing some difficulties due to a lack of land in mountain areas.
Another problem with relocation is that when people move to higher land resettlement areas to reduce the danger of flash floods, they then face difficulties in agricultural production.
Experts said that when flash flood warnings are given, people must be moved to safe areas. If people refuse, local authorities should force them to move.
It’s reported that the Meteorology and Hydrology Institute is working on a map of flash flood-prone areas which can help authorities forecast floods and send out timely warnings, according to the institute’s director Tran Thuc. The project is expected to be completed by the end of this year. — VNS
This bulletin is being issued for information only, and reflects the current situation and details available at this time. The Federation is not seeking funding or other assistance from donors for this operation at present. The Vietnam Red Cross society will, however, accept direct assistance to provide support to the affected population.
The Situation
Flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain from Typhoon Kammuri have resulted in several deaths and caused severe damage to property in the northern provinces of Vietnam.
Flash floods caused by Typhoon Kammuri hit the northern part of Vietnam on the night of 8 August, leaving 162 either dead or missing, and 81 injured.
This is the worst flash floods in 40 years, affecting eight mountainous provinces in the north, including Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Phu Tho, Tuyen Quang, Lai Chau, Son La, Ha Giang and Bac Kan. In Lao Cai, river water levels rose as high as 84.91 metres as result of flash floods compounded by torrential rains. The province was almost completely blocked off by water. Several roads, highways and railway were damaged and 213 houses totally destroyed. In the mountain village of Tung Chin I, Bat Xat, Lao Cai province, 19 out of 40 houses in the village have been swept away, leaving 21 people either dead or missing, with several dozen hectares of agricultural farmlands levelled after the night of 8 August.
Around 3,000 houses in Phu Tho province were submerged in water while in Phuong Xa commune, Cam Khe district, half of the village was under water up to the roofs of houses due to breaches in the dyke.
"I am very concerned of water/sanitation and environment on the ground. Household wells in lowland [areas] are still flooded and people have to collect water from their neighbour's wells uphill," says the International Federation's Vietnam country office's health programme officer, speaking from the badly-hit district Ha Hoa in Phu Tho province. There are reports that within the district itself, 124 houses have been destroyed and 128 other families displaced. Rotting garbage is everywhere and the river is being contaminated further with plastic bags of rubbish. People are also in the midst of cleaning their houses of mud. At this juncture, water and sanitation as well as cleaning of the environment are priority needs.
In Yen Bai, the water level peaked at 34.3 metres, flooding seven districts in the province, destroying 222 houses and displacing residents of 7,000 households in two districts. Highways and railways were about two metres under water.
Comprehensive statistics on damages are not yet complete, but already, available statistics show vast amounts of destruction in the province itself: 125 people are reported dead, 38 missing, 92 injured; 828 houses destroyed, 17,776 more houses damaged and flooded, with 11,150 hectares of rice crops damaged and 2,061 hectares of vegetable gardens damaged. The government of Vietnam is making efforts to secure food for the affected, to provide medicine to those injured, and to restore communication links and transportation. According to the assessment team in Phu Tho, electricity has been restored in major districts since last night. It is hoped that power will fully be recovered today. Roads to communes are now accessible by foot. However, some communes are still under water. The government's priority includes repairing schools to ensure the start of the school year in early September.
Also according to the Federation's health programme officer, "The consequence of the flash flood with regard to crop farm and livelihood is so huge. More than 89 hectares of rice field to be harvested in two months' time was destroyed, and aquaculture farming lost. Their food reserve can be sustainable for one month or so. [The] upcoming maize crop will not start until October, while rice crops will not be likely until April next year." Given this situation, local residents will face the challenge of food storage for several months. Food supplies and restoration of livelihoods will be long-term needs.
In response to the situation, the Fatherland Front, an umbrella organization of the government, called for assistance to support the affected communities. The disaster management working group has held two meetings with coordination from UNDP, Central Committee for Flood and Storm Control (CCFSC) and People's Aid Coordinating Committee (PACCOM), and has decided to conduct a detailed assessment in the three worsthit provinces of Phu Tho, Yen Bai and Lao Cai. The joint needs assessment report will be shared on 20 August. Also, PACCOM, which plays a coordinating role for international non-government organizations in Vietnam, has started efforts in bringing aid to those affected.
The first international support of USD 50,000 (CHF 54,827) has come from the Chinese embassy. World Vision Vietnam initially committed USD 13,200 (CHF 14,474) for Tran Yen district and USD 16,795 (CHF 18,416) for Van Yen district (Yen Bai province). The amount mentioned was used to provide urgent food aid (in the form of rice) to people in need in both districts.
Map - Vietnam: Flash Floods (as of 18 Aug 2008) - Situation Map
Full_Report (pdf* format - 809,5 Kbytes)
Source: International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Date: 18 Aug 2008
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