Natural Disasters Cause $1.75B Damage to Vietnam in 2016: Minister

Natural disasters caused losses of VND39.72 trillion ($1.75 billion) in Vietnam in 2016, equivalent to nearly 1% of the country’s gross domestic product during the year, Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong of Agriculture and Rural Development said at a meeting on April 17. Natural disasters left 264 people dead or mising, nearly 1,000 others injured, and 828,661 hectares of cash crops and paddy fields damaged, Mr. Cuong said, adding that calamities collapsed 5,431 houses and submerged 364,997 others, destroyed 115 kilometers of dykes and 938 kilometers of canals. Vietnam suffered six storms and tropical cyclones with excessive heavy rains that resulted in shoreline landslide in many places in the central region last year. Worse still, water level in the Mekong Delta in 2016 hit a record low over the past 90 years, causing saltwater intrusion in a vast area and droughts in the Central Highlands, central and southern regions, the minister noted. Addressing the event, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that authorities must ensure that no one is left in impoverishment after calamities. He demanded localities to improve disaster control and weather forecasting. The PM also pointed out shortcomings in water discharge management at hydropower dams, and asked agencies to prevent damages to the lowlands. During the rainy season of this year, Vietnam is likely to face 13-15 storms and tropical depressions, including 3-4 storms directly affecting the mainland, especially the central region. (Nguoi Lao Dong - Laborer April 17, Tien Phong – Pioneer April 17, VnExpress April 17)