Prime Minister urges swift response to floods in central region
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in his recent dispatch to ministers and provincial leaders has called for proactive and effective measures to address severe weather conditions and mitigate the impact of prolonged heavy rains and flooding in the central region.
In recent days, relentless rainfall has affected the region, particularly in Thua Thien Hue, Quang Ngai, and Binh Dinh provinces, triggering landslides, localised flooding, and transport disruptions. Several low-lying and riverside communities have been isolated, affecting livelihoods and daily activities. Forecasts indicate that due to a cold front, strong winds at sea and continued heavy rainfall may exacerbate flooding and landslide risks over the next 2-3 days.
The PM has directed provincial authorities from Ha Tinh to Phu Yen to deploy personnel and equipment to reach submerged or isolated areas, ensuring timely delivery of food, water, and essential supplies to prevent shortages and hunger.
Priorities should be placed on relocating elderly, children, women, and other at-risk groups from heavily flooded or landslide-prone areas. It is also necessary for the local authorities to station guards to manage safe passage at submerged roads, landslide zones, and areas with high erosion risk, to implement measures to ensure the safety of dams and reservoirs, and to prepare for emergency evacuations and rescue operations.
The Government leader has also assigned key responsibilities to several agencies, with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment expected to monitor weather developments and provide timely forecasts and warnings to aid decision-making.
The ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Industry and Trade, meanwhile, must coordinate with local authorities to manage the safe operation of reservoirs, balancing flood mitigation and water storage for future needs. The Ministry of National Defence has been tasked with deploying drones to survey vulnerable areas for early detection of landslide risks and preparing forces and equipment in flood-prone areas to support relief and rescue efforts.
The ministries of public security, health, training and education, and transport, have also been assigned several related tasks.
