Many trees in Vinh City were broken and felled during Typhoon No. 2 - raising several issues.

(Baonghean) - According to Mr. Thanh, the important issue is investment funding, so it is necessary to call on organizations and individuals to join hands and contribute; especially the participation of funds from large organizations.

A reporter from Nghe An Newspaper had a discussion with Mr. Tran Quoc Thanh, Director of the Department of Science and Technology, about the issue of the green space system in Vinh City.

Reporter: Sir, after Typhoon No. 2, most streets in Vinh City were littered with uprooted and broken trees. Many roads were blocked, hindering traffic for hours, causing authorities to expend considerable effort to clear them. Public opinion in the city is expressing frustration about this situation. What are your thoughts on this?

Mr. Tran Quoc Thanh:There are two issues that concern me after Typhoon No. 2 ended. Firstly, the "unusual" nature of this typhoon. I say unusual because Nghe An usually only experiences typhoons in the 7th and 8th lunar months, which are not typically the first typhoons of the year...

Furthermore, Typhoon No. 2 entered our province very quickly, but stayed for a very long time. Given these complex and unpredictable characteristics of Typhoon No. 2, it is clear that climate change has been and continues to have negative impacts on the North Central region in general and Nghe An in particular.

Trees lay fallen and scattered everywhere after the storm passed. (Photo: Archival image)

Monday,This concerns the quality of trees in Vinh City. It's very clear that most of the uprooted and broken trees are species like the paulownia, Terminalia catappa, and flamboyant trees... which share the characteristics of brittle trunks and branches, wide and heavy canopies, and shallow, fibrous roots, sometimes even exposed on the ground, making them prone to falling during strong and prolonged storms.

As far as I know, most of these trees were planted spontaneously by city residents several decades ago. And there are still many of these trees along the streets of Vinh City. In general, the density of green spaces in Vinh City is quite good now; but in terms of quality, it is clearly still not up to standard and needs investment and improvement to be more suitable.

PV: As a provincial science manager and a citizen of Vinh City, what suggestions can you offer to the city government and relevant agencies regarding the two issues mentioned above?

Mr. Tran Quoc Thanh:Because the unpredictable and negative impacts of climate change are clear, we all need to be prepared to respond promptly, not just government agencies and organizations. Regarding urban trees, the aftermath of Typhoon No. 2 should serve as a lesson for urban authorities and relevant agencies to better prepare and respond effectively during the rainy and stormy season.

Regarding the need for investment and renovation to improve the quality of the green space system, the Vinh City government has been deeply concerned about this issue over the years, from developing plans and projects to implementing renovations and planting new trees on some streets.

Therefore, when a very interesting topic on urban greenery won first prize at the 2016 Youth Innovation Competition, which presented new ideas on planning and constructing flower-lined streets and selecting tree species suitable for the width and length of roads, the Department of Science and Technology forwarded this topic to the Vinh City government for further reference.

In fact, with the desire for the city to have streets with a quality green space system, many organizations and individuals have submitted good ideas for building an urban green space system to the Vinh city government. However, a crucial issue is the need for investment capital to implement these projects. Given the current economic difficulties, using the city's budget to invest in green spaces is impractical or very slow.

Therefore, in my opinion, the city government should aim for social mobilization. Based on the approved planning and projects, it should call on organizations and individuals to join hands and contribute; especially, it is necessary to encourage the participation of funds from large organizations…

In 2016, Phung Chi Kien street in Vinh city was completely replanted with crape myrtle trees using funds from such a source.

Thank you for the conversation!

Nhat Lan(Perform)