HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam's hydrometeorological sector has been improving its forecasting capacity to provide people in landslide-prone areas with timely warnings, said General Director of the Việt Nam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration Trần Hồng Thái.

Recently, large-scale landslides have appeared in some Central Highland provinces, threatening the safety of residential areas, traffic works, hydroelectricity reservoirs, and irrigation works.

Thai said that it is necessary to set up teams, including representatives from specialised agencies, to assess the risks and causes as well as propose solutions.

He said that the Việt Nam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration will coordinate with relevant units to send personnel to landslide-hit areas and those with high risk in the Central Highlands region in August.

Regarding long-term solutions, Thái said that the agency plans to conduct large-scale studies and investigations on landslides, tube floods and flash floods.

It will also study areas to help the Government and localities grasp the status and risks of landslides and flash floods and then have proper socio-economic development orientations, and measures to prevent and minimise damage caused by natural disasters to people's lives and properties.

From the beginning of July 2023, landslides, flash floods, and riverbank and coastal erosion have caused serious damage to people's lives, properties, and public infrastructure, especially in some provinces in the Central Highlands, and northern and Mekong Delta regions.

Responding to the issue, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chinh on August 8 asked ministries, localities, and agencies to continue to strictly implement Official Dispatch No. 607/CĐ-TTg dated July 1, 2023 on natural disaster prevention and control during the rainy season. — VNS