PM directs handling of floods, calls for ensuring dykes safety

Illustration photo

To limit damage to human lives and assets, the PM has asked the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Viet Nam National Committee of Search and Rescue, relevant ministries and agencies and localities to actively realize urgent measures to cope with floods. 

Accordingly, the provincial and city People’s Committees continue to inspect, review and evacuate local people from dangerous areas, get access to residential areas isolated due to floods and take measures to protect dykes and dams. 

Localities along the Red River, especially provinces and cities near the Hoa Binh hydropower plant need to closely follow the developments in heavy rains and floods as well as the operation of floodgates of the plant's reservoir and promptly keep local people updated.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development directs functional agencies and localities to launch measures to protect dykes, safely operate dykes and irrigation projects, reduce damage to agricultural and aquaculture production, especially activities on the riverside area of the Red River. 

The Ministry of Industry and Trade guides the Electricity of Viet Nam and management boards of power plants to take measures to ensure safety for hydroelectric plants. 

Torrential rains have caused breached dykes, landslides, house collapses and flooding almost everywhere in the central region.

As of 6 am of October 11, the heavy rains and floods caused six deaths (one in Thanh Hoa Province and five in Nghe An Province), three missing and two injuries and collapsed nine houses.  

As many as 584 houses in the province were submerged and more than 1,630 fowls were killed and swept away by floods while about 3,660 hectares of corn and vegetables, 25 hectares of rice and 1,600 hectares of aquatic farming ponds were inundated.

By Thuy Dung