 |
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
