VietNam Society: areas

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Thursday, January 13, 2011

Educational institutions to be moved out of inner-cities

Ha Noi University of Civil Engineering in the centre of Ha Noi. The Education Ministry is planning to shift univerisities in the inner areas of Ha Noi and HCM City to the suburbs. — VNS Photo Truong Vi

HA NOI — The Ministry of Education and Training is looking to compile a plan for Ha Noi and HCM City in which educational institutions in the cities' inner areas would be relocated to the suburbs.

"The relocation is necessary and will contribute to the improvement of teaching," said Deputy Minister of Education and Training Bui Van Ga.

Universities located in Ha Noi's inner urban areas would be partly or completely relocated to eight university-college zones in suburban areas.

The decision comes as part of the capital's construction master plan towards 2030 proposed by the Ministry of Construction.

Under the plan, zones would be opened in Ha Noi in the districts of Gia Lam, Soc Son, Son Tay, Phu Xuyen and Chuong My.

Each zone would cover between 120-150ha to 1,200-1,500ha, with room to accommodate 3-7 universities/colleges and 650,000-700,000 students.

The ministry estimated that it needed to allocate around $4.9 billion for infrastructure and technical facilities.

The ministry also recommended criteria to decide which institutions would be moved including their sizes, fields of expertise and infrastructure.

HCM City would set up three zones including 660ha in Hoc Mon and Cu Chi Districts, 735ha in District 7, Binh Chanh, Nha Be and 815 ha in District 9, Thu Duc and neighboring Binh Duong Province's Di An District.

The city first planned to relocate universities in 2006, but has struggled with the relocation process.

HCM City Banking University Principal Ngo Huong said that the university had land and money to build an alternative facility in Thu Duc District but hadn't been able to obtain a construction licence due to complicated procedures.

Van Hien University Principal Nguyen Mong Hung said that land clearance and compensation payment had prevented the relocation projects from getting off the ground.

Some universities including the HCM Architecture University and the Sports Training University were unable to implement the project due to financial constraints. — VNS

Saturday, January 1, 2011

South Central rains to continue

Floods wreak havoc in the Huong Son District of central Ha Tinh Province. National weather forecasters warn that heavy rain will continue in the South Central region. — VNA/VNS Photo Anh Tuan

HA NOI — Heavy rains are forecast to continue in south-central provinces, while local authorities and people are trying to surmount the consequences of floods that have hit the region over recent days.

Rainfall from Quang Tri to Binh Dinh Province over the past three days averaged 150-300mm, but reached 500mm and 740mm in some areas such as Thua Thien-Hue and Quang Ngai.

Prolonged torrential rains of up to 982mm in mountainous Tra Bong District in Quang Ngai caused double floods and pushed water levels in local rivers beyond alarm level.

Most water reservoirs in the central region had begun discharging flood water. Ten of eleven reservoirs in Quang Ngai exceeded their overflow levels.

Director of the National Hydrometeorological Forecast Centre Bui Minh Tang said heavy rains would continue during the next few days,with storms tending to move southwards through the provinces of Quang Ngai to Phu Yen.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai instructed authorities of south-central provinces to stay alert to the progress of rains and floods to minimise losses to human life and property at an urgent online meeting with the National Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control and local authorities yesterday.

"Rains and floods are causing severe problems, particularly in highland areas where there are a limited number of rain measuring stations, so it is essential to keep a close watch, while maintaining a flow of reports on the progress of rainstorms and floods to prevent a loss of lives through carelessness," Hai said.

Localities should continue mobilising all available forces for rescue and relief work and to support flood victims and help local people overcome the consequences of the storms.

He required the national steering committee for flood and storm prevention and control to check and ensure the safety of reservoir systems and promptly respond to landslide-affected areas.

He noted that hydropower reservoirs needed to discharge floodwaters in line with regulations to avoid creating flooding in low-lying areas.

Torrential rains have triggered floods in south-central provinces over recent days, killing 12 people and leaving two missing.

More than 44,500 households and many roads and highways in the region have been submerged under 0.2-2m of floods.

Thua Thien-Hue authorities reported that the Ho Chi Minh Highway sections crossing A Roang and Hong Van communes which had been damaged by floods, reopened to traffic yesterday.

Police in Quang Nam have mobilised forces to guide local people travelling across submerged and landslide affected roads, as well as monitoring National Highway 1A for traffic jams.

According to the Trieu Thuong Commune People's Committee, Quang Tri Province, people in low-lying areas have been evacuated with their possessions to higher ground.

People's Committee Chairman Nguyen Dai Vui of Phong Dien District in Thua Thien-Hue said drawing on the experience from previous floods, the district had bought 40 tonnes of rice to supply people in isolated areas.

"Children and old people have already been relocated to higher ground to ensure their safety," he said.

More than 4,700 households with over 21,000 people in high risks areas have been evacuated to safe places in the region. — VNS

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Rural residents pay through the nose

Local residents buy food at Dong Da Market in central Da Nang City. Residents in rural areas miss out on price-stabilised products sold at wholesale markets and supermarkets in urban areas. — VNS Photo Xuan Quang

HA NOI — Residents in rural areas are missing out on price-stabilised products that are mainly being sold at wholesale markets and supermarkets in urban areas.

Nguyen Thi Yen, from Suoi Ngoc Hamlet in Ha Noi's Tien Xuan Commune, said she had heard that some shops were meant to be selling price-stabilised goods in rural areas but that she had yet to encounter one.

Tien Xuan Commune has been asked to establish two shops to sell inflation-busting low-cost goods. However, Pham Van Tinh, the commune's Party committee secretary, said there had been a supply problem.

"There are no shops at the moment because the commune has not yet received any price-stabilised products."

Elsewhere in Da Nang City, six shops selling price-stabilised rice have been established. However, all of them are based in central districts where locals earn higher incomes than their rural counterparts.

In Hoa Vang District, which is largely populated by poor farmers, low-skilled workers and students, there are no outlets.

Rice is meant to be sold at 10 per cent below the market price at certain outlets. However, Le Thi Minh said she hadn't even heard of the programme. Furthermore, she said the price had actually risen almost daily.

It is a similar story in Cuu Long (Mekong) delta provinces where low-cost rice is sold mainly at supermarkets and wholesale markets in urban areas.

"I don't have a clue where to find one of these outlets selling price-stabilised food," said Le Thanh Chien, a farmer from Tan Quy Dong Ward in Dong Thap Province.

Nguyen Van Chien, deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade's Domestic Market Department, said a lack of funds was hampering the programme.

Chien called on provincial authorities to implement the programme HCM City, Ha Noi and Da Nang had done.

"The price stabilising programme is aimed at the poor," he said.

Le Viet Tuoi, deputy director of the Da Nang Department of Industry and Trade, admitted that the programme had not been fully implemented.

He attributed the failure of the programme to a lack of co-ordination among relevant offices and the Da Nang Food Joint-Stock Company, which was tasked with implementing the scheme.

Tuoi pledged to take steps to ensure more people got access to below-market-price goods.

Vu Quang Tuan, deputy director of the Thai Binh Province Department of Industry and Trade, said it was easier to implement the programme in cities such as Ha Noi and HCM City.

"The department does not have the money to fund the scheme," Tuan said.

He added that in Thai Binh, there was a high proportion of poor farmers who could not afford expensive products such as canned goods.

"Farmers are put at the greatest disadvantage because they are endeavouring to supply agricultural products for the price stabilising programme but do not get access to cheap goods," Tuan said.

Participants at a workshop in Ha Noi last Thursday to review the "Vietnamese people using Vietnamese goods" campaign that was launched a year ago, were told that more than 58 per cent of consumers were interested in home-produced products.

They also heard that enterprises focused on urban residents because they had greater purchasing power than their rural counterparts.

Yet according to a survey conducted by the Central Institute of Economic Management, rural areas consumed 70 per cent of domestically made food stuffs, that 70 per cent of consumers lived in rural areas and that 97 per cent of retail outlets were located in those parts.

The institute also cited other surveys conducted by different organisations that showed that the number of rural customers was three times that in urban areas. — VNS

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Germany helps VN preserve biodiversity

The German government will provide 3 million EUR for the implementation of the phase 1 of the “Preservation of Biodiversity in Forest Ecosystems in Vietnam” project.

The agreement to this effect was signed on November 8 in Hanoi between Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hua Duc Nhi and German Technical Cooperation’s (GTZ) Country Director Guenter Riethmacher, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The project’s first phase is set to run for three years and focus its work on pilot areas, including Ba Be National Park and Na Hang Nature Reserve in the northern provinces of Bac Kan and Tuyen Quang, respectively; Pu Hu and Pu Luong Nature Reserves in the central province of Thanh Hoa; Bach Ma National Park in the central province of Thua Thien Hue and the buffer zones of these protected areas.

The long-term objective of the project is to improve personnel skills as well as establish institutional, technical, financial and legal conditions to preserve biodiversity in the forest ecosystems in Vietnam, particularly at national level and in protected areas.

It will also research and implement pilot financing mechanisms for protected areas and support the development of benefit-sharing mechanisms in order to secure sustainable financial means for conservation and improve the livelihoods of the local population.

Guenter Riethmacher said that the German government prioritises biodiversity preservation and forestry is one of its main areas of cooperation with Vietnam – which records the highest biodiversity in the world, with about 10 percent of species of the world in just one percent of global land area.

Vietnam now has about 700 species of endangered flora and fauna, of which 300 are facing extinction in the world, and 10.3 million hectares of natural forests, accounting for about 31 percent of forest areas in Vietnam. However, only 0.57 million hectares of primeval forest is still in existence.

Since 1993, GTZ and Vietnam’s partnering agencies have actively implemented sustainable development projects in the fields of sustainable economic development, natural resources management and healthcare./.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Southern central region faces more heavy rains

Floods in the central province of Khanh Hoa have claimed three lives and left two missing. Floods have also prevented students fromgetting to school in the coastal city of Nha Trang. — VNA/VNS Photo Doan Quang Duc

HA NOI — Heavy rains are forecasted to continue to hit the south-central region over the next few days, warned the National Hydro-meteorological Forecast Centre.

The water levels in many rivers in provinces from Quang Nam to Phu Yen have risen to alarming levels.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung yesterday instructed localities in the south-central and Central Highlands provinces of Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Gia Lai and Kon Tum, to actively take measures to cope with heavy rains and large-scale inundations, flash-floods and possible landslides.

He urged People's Committees in Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan to mobilise all available resources and vehicles to promptly evacuate people inhabiting riverside, low-land areas and other high-risk areas to safer places.

They were required to ensure enough food and water for local people and inspect and ensure the safety of provincial dyke and reservoir systems. People's Committees in Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Gia Lai, Kon Tum and Da Nang have kept a close watch on the progress of rains and floods, ensuring adequate reserve foods, basic necessities, vehicles and human resources are ready for deployment in high-risk areas.

The National Steering Committee for Search and Rescue, the ministries of national defence and public security were asked to mobilise vehicles and forces to help provincial forces in evacuating local people and providing aid and relief in submerged and isolated areas to mitigate losses.

Ministries of agriculture and rural development, industry and trade, transport, information and communications, health and relevant agencies have been required to co-operate to ensure the safety of reservoirs, dykes, electricity and transport systems.

Floods caused by prolonged heavy rain in south-central provinces from Phu Yen to Binh Thuan over recent days have killed at least six people and left four missing, reported the National Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control.

More than 1,900 houses were submerged while 186 others together with 11,000 hectares of crops were damaged.

Highways were flooded under depths of between 0.5-1m of water and landslides, causing major traffic congestion.

Ninh Thuan province has evacuated more than 18,800 people in submerged and isolated areas, while Khanh Hoa moved 2,928 people to safe places.

The General Statistic Office reported that up to 173 people had died or are missing, with 168 injured between September 21 to October 21, causing estimated losses of more than VND8.5 trillion (US$318.5 million).

The two recent floods in north-central provinces last month left 161 dead and missing, destroyed and swept away 700 houses, submerged more than 400,000 houses and over 51,000 hectares of crop, damaged nearly 20,000 hectares of aquaculture farms and 280km of dyke. — VNS

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Floods inundate homes, crops in central region

Soldier helps a resident in flooded Nha Trang City, in the central province of Khanh Hoa to safety. — VNA/VNS Photo Doan Quang Duc

HA NOI — Torrential rains brought floods and landslides to the country's central region, threatening thousands of hectares of rice fields and isolating thousands of households.

The National Hydro-Meteorology Forecast Centre warned of possible flash floods and landslides in submerged and low-lying areas in the affected areas.

Reports from Ninh Thuan Province said heavy downpours had submerged hundreds of hectares of crops, including 100ha of rice. As many as 50 households were inundated with half-a-metre of water in downstream areas. Two reportedly collapsed.

Water has been released from Don Duong Lake, Sat River, Tran River, Tan Giang and Ba Tri to protect the province's dyke and embankment system.

Flood waters have blocked several roads and many sections of National Highways No 1A and 27 have been isolated.

Provincial authorities have closed some roads to traffic to ensure safety.

They have also worked to relocate more than 950 of 3,832 households on the flood plain.

In Khanh Hoa Province, heavy rains have continued to fall to the tune of between 190 to 234 millimetres, leaving behind heavy damages.

In Cam Ranh Town, floods have submerged 30 hectares of shrimp-raising areas, causing an estimated VND12 billion (US$615,000) in losses while landslides have caused losses upwards of VND4 billion ($205,000).

Two vessels were swept out to sea. Border soldiers managed to save one but another sunk in Nha Trang.

Thirty-two houses in Nha Trang's Vinh Nguyen and Vinh Phuoc wards collapsed due to flooding and 62 households have been moved to safer ground.

The latest report from the central Phu Yen Province says that Pham Dinh Cu, 53, in Dong Hoa District is still missing.

Torrential rains have also been reported in the areas along Ban Thach and Banh Lai rivers. Many residential areas in Dong Hoa and Tay Hoa have been flooded.

Heavy downpours have also caused landslides at 1320+470km on the North-South railway route through the Ca mountain pass.

Head of Phu Yen Province's Tuy Hoa Station Tran Ky Thanh, said the landslides had blocked the tracks, leaving six trains with 1,222 passengers stranded. The province's Transport Department has assigned 12 buses to transport the passengers to Dai Lanh Station.

Phu Khanh Railway Company has mobilised hundreds of workers to fix the problem but authorities report that the area is still vulnerable to landslides. They are working to prevent further landslides.

The National Hydro-Meteorology Forecast Centre has forecast that rivers in the provinces will continue to rise.

The Central Steering Committee for Floods and Storms told localities to re-examine residential areas in low-lying areas and relocate them if necessary. It also asked the provinces to take control of flooded roads and provide instructions to road users.

Media outlets will continue to be informed of changing conditions. —VNS

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Sterilisation begins in flood-hit areas to avoid health risks

HA NOI — Authorities and health clinics in flood-hit areas have been ordered to promptly deal with water pollution and other health threats to enable residents to regain their lifestyles.

Coaches and buses have also been called in to transport passengers in sections of the North-South railway that have been inundated or swept away.

Central region authorities were asked by the Viet Nam Environment Administration to sterilise public places, such as hospitals, health clinics and schools, with sprays to kill mosquitoes and prevent post-flood diseases.

They were also told to strengthen food hygiene and safety inspections in problem areas now that further threats from Storm Megi are unlikely.

Donations for flood victims can be transferred to Viet Nam News via account numbers 001.1.37.2310047 for US dollars and 001.1.00.2310028 for Vietnamese dong at the Vietcombank. All the money will be transferred to the Viet Nam Fatherland Front and used to support flood victims.

The administration also asked coastal provinces and cities to clean up beaches, river mouths, and repair landslides.

In turn, flood-hit residents have been instructed to collect rubbish, bury dead cattle and poultry far from water sources and sterilise their wells and breeding facilities as soon as the flood retreats.

The Environmental Protection Fund has provided VND2.1 billion (US$107,100) to help clean up Quang Binh, Ha Tinh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue provinces.

The latest report from the National Steering Committee for Storm and Flood Prevention and Control shows that flooding in the central region has left 76 people dead, six missing and 42 injured.

More than 230 communes were still submerged and 90 low-lying communes isolated. Rescue teams have managed to supply food and clean water to all affected areas.

Most flooded roads have now been cleared and re-opened for vehicles.

Le Thanh Hai, deputy director of the National Hydro Meteorological Forecast Centre, said Storm Megi was not likely to cause any further harm to Viet Nam and people should therefore concentrate on overcoming the consequences of the floods.

The storm is forecast to move north at a speed of between five and 10kph and be over China's Guangdong Province for the next 48 to 72 hours.

About VND11 billion ($561,000), plus clothing, foodstuffs and medical supplies have been donated to support flood victims in Nghe An Province, where houses, livestock and crops worth more than VND1.7 trillion ($86.7 million) were swept away by floods.

Dutch dairy company FrieslandCampina Viet Nam donated 21,000 cartons of milk worth more than VND4 billion (US$205,100) to flood victims in the provinces of Ha Tinh, Nghe An, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien-Hue. — VNS

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Workplace accidents on the rise in rural areas

Professor Doctor Le Van Trinh, head of the National Institute of Labour Protection, said there was still not an office in charge of controlling labour accidents and occupational diseases in rural areas.

"Administrative offices are still ignoring these areas," Trinh said.

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs was the only office responsible for monitoring workplace accidents, he said.

Official figures on the number of occupational accidents were not available because fewer than 10 percent of enterprises reported their labour accidents annually, Trinh added.

The National Institute of Labour Protection, therefore, has no other alternative but to rely on hospitals for information about accidents and occupational diseases in rural areas.

By conducting a survey of about 1,000 patients at hospitals throughout the country, the institute found that nearly 66 percent of labourers working in the agriculture sector and craft villages had frequent contact with dust. About 60 percent had regular contact with harmful chemicals.

Job site accidents which resulted in abrasions to hands or feet accounted for nearly 39 percent of all agriculture production injuries. The figure was about 44 percent for craft village accidents.

Labourers suffering from respiratory, skin and gynaecological diseases made up 42 percent, 39 percent and 35 percent, respectively, at agriculture production sites; these figures were 54 percent, 46 percent and 38 percent in craft villages.

A report released by the International Labour Organisation said awareness and knowledge about labour safety and hygiene as well as environment protection among labourers in rural areas was still limited.

The organisation said this lack of awareness was one of the main reasons for the rising number of labour accidents and occupational diseases in these areas.

Farmer Nguyen Thi Quit of Thuan Hoa Commune in Hau Giang Province 's Long My District finally went to the Hau Giang General Hospital to receive treatment for her right eye when she could no longer stand the pain.

A leaf brushed across Quit's eye when she was harvesting sugar cane. It took a few days for the pain to surpass her threshold, but by that point the doctors told her it was too late. Her eye was permanently damaged.

In another case, farmer Tran Thanh Quang of Dong Thap Province 's Lai Vung District lost an eye because he used water from a rice field to wash out his eye. The eye became infected and doctors had to remove it out of fear of long-term infection.

Chac Ca Dao Channel, which links Chau Thanh District in An Giang Province with Rach Gia City in Kien Giang Province, has been dubbed by many as a ‘crippled' channel; dozens of labourers working at brick kilns along the channel have suffered damage to their fingers, legs and feet in workplace accidents.

Another survey found an increasing number of women suffering from gynaecological diseases in the Cuu Long ( Mekong ) Delta.

More than 17,300 women in Vinh Long Province have suffered from gynaecological problems since early this year, an increase of 4,000 cases compared with last year's figure.

In Hau Giang Province and Can Tho City, these figures were 12,413 and 24,000 women, respectively.

Doctor Tran Thi Lai, head of the Hau Giang Province 's Population and Family Planning branch, attributed the trend to limited awareness among the women, and the shortage of clean water and hygienic living conditions.

Lai said many women were ashamed and had never visited the doctor for an annual gynaecological exam even though many were married and already had children.

Trinh said agriculture was one of the sectors that exposed workers to dangerous and harmful factors that adversely impacted their heath. The use of dangerous agriculture machines and tools, lack of control over agricultural chemicals and difficult conditions for work-related health care services were the source of many of the problems.

He said legal documents concerning labour accidents and occupational diseases in rural areas had yet to be completed. The problem was compounded by the shortage of inspectors to assess and supervise labour safety and hygiene standards nationwide.

There are currently only 600 inspectors working in this area./.

Workplace accidents on the rise in rural areas

Farmers harvest the summer-autumn rice crop in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of An Giang. The number of accidents is on the rise as is the spread of occupational diseases in rural areas due to negligence. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Vu

HAU GIANG — Administrative and workplace negligence is causing an upward trend in the number of accidents and the spread of occupational diseases in rural areas.

"Administrative offices are still ignoring these areas," Trinh said.

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs was the only office responsible for monitoring workplace accidents, he said.

Official figures on the number of occupational accidents were not available because fewer than 10 per cent of enterprises reported their labour accidents annually, Trinh added.

The National Institute of Labour Protection, therefore, has no other alternative but to rely on hospitals for information about accidents and occupational diseases in rural areas.

By conducting a survey of about 1,000 patients at hospitals throughout the country, the institute found that nearly 66 per cent of labourers working in the agriculture sector and craft villages had frequent contact with dust. About 60 per cent had regular contact with harmful chemicals.

Job site accidents which resulted in abrasions to hands or feet accounted for nearly 39 per cent of all agriculture production injuries. The figure was about 44 per cent for craft village accidents.

Labourers suffering from respiratory, skin and gynaecological diseases made up 42 per cent, 39 per cent and 35 per cent, respectively, at agriculture production sites; these figures were 54 per cent, 46 per cent and 38 per cent in craft villages.

The organisation said this lack of awareness was one of the main reasons for the rising number of labour accidents and occupational diseases in these areas.

Farmer Nguyen Thi Quit of Thuan Hoa Commune in Hau Giang Province's Long My District finally went to the Hau Giang General Hospital to receive treatment for her right eye when she could no longer stand the pain.

In another case, farmer Tran Thanh Quang of Dong Thap Province's Lai Vung District lost an eye because he used water from a rice field to wash out his eye. The eye became infected and doctors had to remove it out of fear of long-term infection.

Another survey found an increasing number of women suffering from gynaecological diseases in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta.

More than 17,300 women in Vinh Long Province have suffered from gynaecological problems since early this year, an increase of 4,000 cases compared with last year's figure.

In Hau Giang Province and Can Tho City, these figures were 12,413 and 24,000 women, respectively.

Doctor Tran Thi Lai, head of the Hau Giang Province's Population and Family Planning branch, attributed the trend to limited awareness among the women, and the shortage of clean water and hygienic living conditions.

Lai said many women were ashamed and had never visited the doctor for an annual gynaecological exam even though many were married and already had children.

There are currently only 600 inspectors working in this area. — VNS

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Central floods claim 28 lives

Photo: Tuoi Tre

Torrential rains brought floods and landslides to the country's central region, killing at least 28 and leaving seven still missing.

A helicopter on Tuesday arrived at Quang Binh province to distributed one ton of instant noodles to local residents stuck in the submerged areas.

The floods have destroyed thousands of hectares of rice fields and isolated thousands of households.

The latest figures from the central region show that 12 people have been killed in Quang Binh province, seven in Ha Tinh, six in Nghe An, and three in Quang Tri. Nine more people were injured and seven remain missing.

The National Hydro-Meteorology Forecast Center said rivers from Quang Tri to Thua Thien-Hue provinces would continue to rise. The water levels in Quang Binh Province's rivers had reached their peaks and were receding slowly.

Meteorologists warned of possible flash floods and landslides in submerged and low-lying areas from Ha Tinh to Thua Thien-Hue.

Director of the center Bui Minh Tang said a low pressure, which had slowly moved west-northwest, was likely to increase in the next few days and would continue to bring heavy rainfall to the region. Heavy downpours were forecast from Nghe An to Quang Tri and a cold spell was likely to occur in northern provinces in the upcoming days.

Reports from Quang Binh Province said the water level at Ho Ho Hydroelectricity Dam in Tuyen Hoa District was 1m over its peak and at risk of breaching the dam.

Chief of the secretariat of the district People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Tan said the committee had requested permission to drain some of the excess water to minimize the dam breach.

The floods submerged around 8,000 houses, 1,000 of which by more than 1m deep. Five houses collapsed and 80 per cent of schools and agencies in the area were underwater.

Heavy downpours blocked roads in many areas and isolated Tuyen Hoa, Minh Hoa, Le Thuy and Quang Ninh districts.

More than 370 households located on the flood plain had been relocated.

In Ha Tinh Province, hundreds of soldiers were sent to help evacuate nearly 2,000 households from low-lying areas with orders to pack food for at least eight days.

As many as 18 landslides along Highway No8A had occurred, blocking traffic and drainage systems in Huong Son District for hours.

Nearly 100 workers were mobilised to clear the roads and keep watch around the clock to ensure people's safety.

In Quang Tri Province, heavy rainfall destroyed 36 houses, seriously damaged two drainage systems and blocked main roads including Highway No9 and Ho Chi Minh Road.

More than 1,000ha of subsidiary crops in Thua Thien-Hue Province were swept away and hundreds of hectares of aquaculture breeding facilities flooded.

About 20,000 people may have to be evacuated from the flood-prone areas if the torrential rains do not stop in the next few days. Currently, more than 3,000 houses are submerged.

At least five fishing vessels have sunk and three fishermen are missing due to heavy rainfall and strong winds in Nghe An Province.

The Central Steering Committee for Floods and Storms told localities to re-examine residential areas in low-lying areas and relocate them if necessary. It also asked the provinces to take control on flooded roads and instruct road users and vehicles.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade was requested to promptly take measures on the Ho Ho Dam to ensure the safety of surrounding households.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Floods cause death, devastation

The road connecting Trieu Giang and Trieu Phong districts to National Highway 1A in the central province of Quang Tri is submerged and impassable. — VNA/VNS Photo Ho Cau

HA NOI — Torrential rains brought floods and landslides to the country's central region, killing at least 12 and injuring four, with three people unaccounted for.

The floods have threatened thousands of hectares of rice fields and isolated thousands of households.

The latest figures from the central region show that four people have been killed in Ha Tinh Province, one in Quang Binh Province, three in Quang Tri Province and four in Nghe An Province. Four more people were injured and three remain missing.

The National Hydro-Meteorology Forecast Centre said rivers from Quang Tri to Thua Thien-Hue provinces would continue to rise. The water levels in Quang Binh Province's rivers had reached their peaks and were receding slowly.

Meteorologists warned of possible flash floods and landslides in submerged and low-lying areas from Ha Tinh to Thua Thien-Hue.

Director of the centre Bui Minh Tang said a low pressure, which had slowly moved west-northwest, was likely to increase in the next few days and would continue to bring heavy rainfall to the region. Heavy downpours were forecast from Nghe An to Quang Tri and a cold spell was likely to occur in northern provinces in the upcoming days.

Reports from Quang Binh Province said the water level at Ho Ho Hydroelectricity Dam in Tuyen Hoa District was 1m over its peak and at risk of breaching the dam.

Chief of the secretariat of the district People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Tan said the committee had requested permission to drain some of the excess water to minimise the dam breach.