Prime Minister decides to provide emergency housing support for people affected by flash floods and landslides

On the morning of August 23, at the Government headquarters, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chaired a meeting with a number of ministries, branches and localities on emergency housing support for households affected by flash floods and landslides.

According to a report by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, flash floods and landslides in 2017 left 71 people dead and missing; 4,109 houses collapsed, toppled, and swept away; 13,246 households living in unsafe areas are at high risk of being affected by flash floods and landslides.

Since the beginning of 2018, there have been 12 flash floods, landslides, and landslides, killing 49 people, leaving 14 missing, and injuring 21, with estimated damage of nearly 1,000 billion VND. In particular, flash floods and landslides from June 23-26 occurred over a large area (several northern mountainous provinces such as Lai Chau, Ha Giang, Dien Bien, Cao Bang, Tuyen Quang...) killing 33 people, leaving them missing; estimated damage of about 762 billion VND.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, there are currently 5,592 households without housing or living in temporary housing. More than 42,100 households are at high risk of being affected by flash floods and landslides and need to be relocated to ensure safety. In addition to housing support, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development also proposed supporting the installation of testing equipment to monitor and warn of flash floods and landslides in some high-risk locations in some localities.

Expressing concern over the recent natural disasters in many areas, causing landslides and houses to be swept away, forcing people to live in tents and makeshift shelters, the Prime Minister said that he had discussed with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development about ways to support people in the spirit of "not leaving people homeless" when the affected area and need for support are very large and funding is limited. The Prime Minister asked delegates to focus on discussing measures to provide housing for people affected by flash floods, landslides, as well as long-term and fundamental measures.

Speaking at the meeting, local opinions said that in recent years, natural disasters have become more extreme and the level has increased, as the representative of Son La said, previously only the surface of the mountain had collapsed, but now half of the mountain has collapsed. Recently, the province had to evacuate 3 villages in one night because otherwise, about 2,000 people would have died due to the mountain collapsing.

Regarding support, localities suggested that it is necessary to ensure fairness and the right target according to the level of damage (complete or partial loss) and especially, it is necessary to support infrastructure construction, because without roads, it is impossible to transport materials to build houses. Although it is only support, it is also necessary to ensure that people can have permanent houses, and not still have to live in new temporary houses. In addition, there should be a monitoring mechanism to avoid the situation where people use money from building houses to buy motorbikes.

Some opinions suggest that it is necessary to soon create a more detailed landslide warning map to know where people can settle down, because there have been some cases where people have had to relocate many times because the new place of residence is not safe.

Concluding the meeting, the Prime Minister said that, in the immediate future, it is necessary to focus on taking care of 5,592 households that are currently homeless or living in temporary housing, to quickly overcome the situation of "sleeping on the ground".

The Prime Minister requested to resolve the issue by arranging accommodation in residential areas. Support must ensure accurate requirements, the right target, and timeliness, mobilizing other resources besides state resources, and must be considered for the long term. Along with worrying about housing, it is necessary to worry about how people live in that house, how to produce land to stabilize people's lives, as well as infrastructure such as how people living there travel, how their children study, and how to get medical treatment.

“This task is assigned to the Chairmen of the Provincial People's Committees to be responsible for organizing and implementing it. They must do it urgently, immediately, accurately, and be responsible to the Prime Minister,” the Prime Minister stated. It is necessary to strictly manage and fight corruption and negativity.

Regarding the support level, the Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to propose a suitable level between housing and infrastructure support, in the spirit of fairness and transparency, and submit it to the Prime Minister for decision soon.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development urgently submits to the Prime Minister a comprehensive project to urgently relocate residents from disaster areas, with investment phases.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment coordinates with the Ministry of Finance to propose reserve capital in medium-term investment to arrange emergency capital for areas that need to be relocated according to the project.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment presides over and coordinates with localities to create maps to divide areas at risk of natural disasters, flash floods, and landslides. The Ministry of Construction coordinates with localities, ministries, and sectors to review planning for residential areas.

The Prime Minister assigned the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, Natural Resources and Environment, Planning and Investment, and Finance to propose resources for a National Disaster Prevention Fund.

Currently in the rainy and flood season, the Prime Minister requested ministries, branches and localities to be proactive, have plans, and raise their responsibilities in natural disaster prevention, "how to take care of dams, how to take care of hydroelectric and irrigation works, what plans for dikes and embankments, how to evacuate people in case of a big storm", especially the regulations for operating inter-reservoirs./.