HA NOI — Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Dao Xuan Hoc has urged Ha Noi and several other cities in Viet Nam to make sure they were resilient to climate change.
Hoc called for several Vietnamese cities to strive to make the list of cities around the world that have adequately prepared for the impacts of climate change. The proposal was made at a ceremony held in Ha Noi yesterday to mark the International Day for Disaster Reduction.
"Making Cities Resilient: My City is Getting Ready" is the theme of this year's United Nations campaign to raise people's awareness on natural disaster prevention and minimisation.
Cities involved in the campaign undertake 10 essential steps to help make their communities safer from disasters.
The work includes investing more in disaster risk reduction and preparation while ensuring early warning systems are in place.
Last year, the World Bank announced that Viet Nam's Ha Noi, Dong Hoi and Can Tho cities were selected as pilot cities in the "Making Cities Resilient" campaign.
Hoc said that this year the country experienced unusually severe drought and prolonged periods of hot weather. Many water reservoirs across the country were only 50-70 per cent full, resulting in power cuts.
Last week, devastating floods in the Central region killed 66 people, destroyed more than 2,000 houses and caused damages worth more than VND2.5 billion (US$131,580).
Hoc said work on reducing disaster risks should draw participation from everyone.
Speaking at the ceremony, the UN's Development Programme Country Director Setsuko Yamazaki said that urban poverty and vulnerability to disasters were closely linked.
"By addressing urban poverty we can help reduce the vulnerability of the urban poor to disasters," said Yamazaki. — VNS
