Effective coordination in forecasting and preventing floods, flash floods and landslides in 2018

Comrade Dinh Viet Hong - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee spoke at the meeting. Photo: Van Truong.

On the afternoon of June 15, a working delegation led by Mr. Nguyen Van Tue - Deputy Director General of the General Department of Hydrometeorology had a working session with the Provincial People's Committee on coordination in forecasting and preventing floods, flash floods and landslides in 2018 in the province.

Receiving and working with the delegation were comrade Dinh Viet Hong - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, representatives of leaders of departments, branches...

According to the report of the North Central Hydrometeorological Station, in 2017, the Station actively completed the assigned functions and tasks in forecasting and forecasting weather conditions in Nghe An province, thereby contributing to limiting damage caused by natural disasters in the province.

In 2017, the Station issued dangerous hydrological weather bulletins including 314 storm bulletins, 229 shower warning bulletins, 80 cold air bulletins, and 27 flash flood warning bulletins.

In preparation for the 2018 storm season, the Station directed departments and hydrometeorological stations to maintain facilities and equipment, develop measurement plans, and forecast plans for storms and heavy rain. Organize measurement and monitoring of hydrometeorological data in the area and provide full information to the National Hydrometeorological Forecasting Center for forecasting and warning purposes.

However, currently, warning about extreme phenomena such as flash floods is still facing many difficulties, only stopping at the district level and not pointing out a specific point.

Ky Son district has many villages at risk of flash floods, however flash flood warnings are difficult to accurately predict. Illustration: Van Truong

Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Dinh Viet Hong - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee highly appreciated the work of forecasting and preventing natural disasters of the North Central Hydrometeorological Station. In recent years, the Station has done a good job of advising the Provincial Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control, coordinating with relevant units to provide timely information on weather and climate developments to serve the work of forecasting, warning, preventing and fighting natural disasters and serving production, contributing to reducing damage caused by natural disasters.

In the coming time, the Provincial People's Committee will consider funding to support the North Central Meteorological Station to build new hydrometeorological stations as well as invest in equipment for the stations.

Concluding the meeting, Mr. Nguyen Van Tue - Deputy Director General of the General Department of Hydrometeorology highly appreciated the support and coordination of Nghe An departments and branches for the hydrometeorological sector in the area. In the coming time, the North Central Hydrometeorological Station needs to promote local strengths to better serve the work of disaster prevention and control and search and rescue to minimize damage during the storm season.

For the first time, Vietnam has a law on hydrometeorological activities.

The Law on Hydrometeorology with 10 Chapters and 55 Articles was passed by the National Assembly on November 23, 2015.g hydrology and Decree No. 38 of the Government for the staff, experts of the Department and its affiliated units; Vice Chairman of the District People's Committee in charge of the field and Head, Deputy Head, and experts of the District Department of Natural Resources and Environment.