Deputy Prime Minister Trần Lưu Quang gives instruction at the conference. — Photo baochinhphu.vn

HÀ NỘI — Deputy Prime Minister Trần Lưu Quang has asked organisations to be more vigilant in preventing and coping with natural disasters this year.

Chairing a conference summarising natural disaster prevention and control efforts last year and setting up key tasks this year, held on Wednesday in Hà Nội, the Deputy PM said the weather was forecast to change erratically with hot weather at the beginning of the year and storms at the end.

The National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control must proactively carry out its task to minimise damage to people and property.

Ministries and localities must maintain the principle ‘prevention is better than cure’. They must provide timely information and instructions to people, including by phone messages, so people can protect themselves. Moreover, they can participate in the work of preventing, combatting and overcoming natural disaster consequences.

Inspection and supervision must be regularly conducted.

Concerned organisations must train community authorities with basic skills in natural disaster prevention and control.

Drills should be practical, economical, and applicable to the local situation.

Deputy PM Quang also asked ministries to strengthen international cooperation to learn from experience and call for external resources.

Science and technology should be further applied to improve the prevention effectiveness and quick recovery after natural disasters.

From the beginning of last year to January 10 this year, the country had more than 5,300 natural disasters, killing more than 900 people, injuring 977, and leaving more than 200 missing.

More than 500 vehicles were sunk or damaged.

As many as 1,740 factories and market kiosks were affected, while 1,346ha of forest were destroyed.

Natural disasters also damaged more than 15,900 houses; 115km of dikes, embankments and canals; more than 700 irrigation works and nearly 200 temporary bridges.

The disasters swept away more than 151,200ha of rice and crops, and damaged more than 3,500ha of aquaculture area. More than 75,000 cattle and poultry died.

Economic losses due to natural disasters totalled about VNĐ8.2 trillion (US$31.8 million).

During the period, ministries and localities assigned 204,500 people and more than 23,100 vehicles to cope with the natural disasters.

Ministries and localities moved more than 962,000 people and more than 201,000 vehicles to safe places.

They instructed 328,227 ships with more than 1.6 million seamen to proactively avoid storms and tropical depressions.

Forecast

The Việt Nam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration (VNMHA) predicts that the El Nino phenomenon will continue until the middle of this year and reach its peak, so this year could be the 10th consecutive year the global average temperature be the highest.

Natural disasters will also be more unusual.

The VNMHA warns of water shortage in the northern, Central Highlands and southern regions in the first half of this year, and in the central region in June, July and August.

Heat waves in the southern, northwest and central regions are likely to arrive early and appear more often than the average.

Typhoons and tropical depressions will likely occur in the second half of the year.

Along with that, thunderstorms and heavy rains appear more often, causing landslides in mountainous areas and urban flooding.

​The year will see few cold periods, but strong cold waves will appear causing frost and snow showers in the northern mountainous region.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Lê Minh Hoan proposed to strengthen science and technology application, including remote sensing technology, artificial intelligence and big data in natural disaster prevention and control. — VNS