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| Leaders of the General Department for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and General Department for Water Resources. – VNA/VNS Photo Minh Tâm |
Viet Nam News
HÀ NỘI – Two general deparments have been set up to help the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) deal with natural disasters and issues related to irrigation.
The General Department for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control (GDNDP) and the General Department for Water Resources (GDWR) have been established following a Government decision, which comes into effect on Friday. Both the two units will be managed by the MARD.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyễn Xuân Cường has appointed Nguyễn Văn Tỉnh as general director of the GDWR and Trần Quang Hoài as general director of the GDNDP.
Cường said the departments will be responsible for advising and assisting the State in the areas of irrigation, clean water supply, dyke management and natural disaster prevention and control.
In the context of complicated climate change and its impacts on agricultural production, Cường asked the two organs to formulate a specific action programme to boost agricultural restructuring, which would be attached to new rural construction.
There needs to be increased co-operation between the departments and local authorities to reduce risks caused by the 12 types of natural disasters the country faces, the minister said.
Figures compiled by the ministry show that 106 people have died or are missing since early this year because of natural disasters, and more than 1,000 houses collapsed or were damaged, causing a loss of around VNĐ5 trillion (US$220 million). – VNS
