A dry reservoir in Ninh Phuoc District, Ninh Thuan Province. — VNA/VNS Ngoc Ha

The country also endured estimated losses of more than VND3.2 trillion (US$139 million) due to extreme weather with thousands of hectares of rice and vegetable damaged and some 54,200 houses severely damaged, said Nguyen Truong Son, deputy head of Vietnam Disaster Management Authority. More disasters are forecast to strike Vietnam towards the end of the year.

Saline intrusion on some rivers in Mekong Delta has exceeded the historic 2015-2016 dry season which caused damage of VND15 trillion ($646 million). The intrusion has come a month earlier than in previous years and saltwater has reached up to 100km into rivers and withdrawn very slowly.

Extreme weather has been reported nationwide since the beginning of the year including more than 100 hailstorms in 31 provinces and cities and Hanoi’s temperature drop to 16.5 degree Celsius in late April, the lowest at that time of year in five decades.  

To prepare for coming disasters, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vietnam Red Cross (VNRC) has accelerated IT use to provide warnings, according to the VNRC vice president Nguyen Hai Anh.

VNRC’s community-based interventions focus on clean water, safe accommodation, livelihoods and health care.

Anh said using a forecast-based action plan and the private sector’s engagement were highlights of VNRC’s disaster prevention and response activities in 2019.

In the first five months of this year, the VNRC allocated more than VND100 billion ($4.3 million) to support people and localities affected by extreme weather and the pandemic.

Vietnam must not surrender to the impacts of climate change, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the national online conference on disaster control and prevention on May 15, urging people to adapt and drive the country forward.

Disasters are estimated to cost Vietnam 1 to 1.5 per cent of GDP annually.  VNS 

Ninh Thuan lifts disaster risk level for prolonged drought Facing prolonged drought since the beginning of 2020, authorities of coastal central Ninh Thuan Province have enhanced the disaster risk level to three – severe on the whole provincial area and four – hazardous in the districts of Thuan Nam and Thuan Bac. As of May 15, the total amount of water remaining in 21 local reservoirs was nearly 25 million cubic metres, only 12.84 per cent of total capacity and the lowest level in the past five years. Many reservoirs have reported dead water levels. The provincial People’s Committee tasked the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, districts’ steering committees for disaster prevention and search and rescue, police and related agencies to respond, mitigate and minimise impacts of drought on people’s livelihoods and the local economy.

Natural disasters bring about US$13.55 million damage in Southern Vietnam

Natural disasters caused 16 people dead and missing, injured 54, damaged and inundated 17,713 houses, with the total damage of VND315 billion (US$13.55 million) in the Southern region during the first nine months of 2019.

Vietnam loses $860 million to natural disasters last year

Vietnam recorded 224 persons dead and missing and economic losses of $859.5 million in natural disasters in 2018, according to the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.