Hanoi (VNA) – Minister of Agricultureand Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong has asked relevant agencies to take synchronousmeasures to deal with possible natural disasters.

At a meeting of the Central Steering Committee on Disaster Prevention andControl in Hanoi on July 9 to review its first-half work, Cuong, who is alsohead of the committee, emphasised the need to implement the Government’s Resolution76/NQ-CP dated June 18, 2018 on natural disaster prevention and Resolution120/NQ-CP dated November 17, 2017 on sustainable development of the MekongRiver Delta in adaptation to climate change, and other documents.

The National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting should pay special attentionto forecasting and warning work, promptly providing weather forecast bulletins foragencies at all levels, as well asdevise plans and measures to improveforecasting capacity and infrastructure, he said.

The centre was urged to closely coordinate with international hydro-meteorologicalorganisations, ministries, agencies, localities and press agencies in naturaldisaster response.

He also asked cities and provinces to make plans on repairing and upgradingreservoirs and prioritise the participation of private businesses in disasterprevention, especially those applying technology.

As heard at the meeting, 75 people have been killed or remained missing while48 others suffered injuries due to natural disasters in the first six months of2018.

Total economic losses reached 868.5 billion VND (37.73million USD).

According to the committee’s report, a total of 14 types of natural disastershave occurred in the country, including two typhoons, two tropical depressions,88 thunderstorms, seven flash floods and landslides, seven strong wind spellsover the seas, four extreme cold spells and others.

In total, 509 houses have been destroyed while another 12,571sustained damage.

As many as 15,000 hectares of rice and 1,700 hectares ofindustrial plantation also suffered damage, while nearly 9,000 fowls and 17,000cattle were killed due to natural disasters.

Minister Cuong said that the weather events in the first halfof the year were abnormally extreme compared to the average statistics in thelast 20 years, citing the “rare cases” of record rainfall in the northernregion in June and 40-41 Celsius degree heat wave in the northern and centralregion in recent weeks.

According to the National Centre for HydrometeorologicalForecasting, in the remaining half of 2018, Vietnam may face 12-13 typhoons,with at least four or five making landfall.

Several households across the country are still unable tomove to their settlement domiciles, as the country is still reeling from theimpacts of natural disasters last year and in first half of 2018.

Tran Quang Hoai, permanent member of the committee, requestedthat all concerned parties follow the Government’s orders on natural disasterprevention and alleviation, which would see a focus on upgrading forecastinginfrastructure and warning systems for those in high-risk areas.

Multiple-platform communications, including social mediasites like Facebook, in addition to conventional methods like public speakers,TV, radio and websites will also be promoted to make sure that the public isaware of incoming threats in a timely manner.-VNA