A street in Hanoi is flooded after heavy rains. (Photo: VNA) There are more than 800 citiesnationwide, including the two special municipalities of Hanoi and Ho Chi MinhCity.
Big and populous cities such asHanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Vinh of Nghe An province have frequentlysuffered from heavy losses caused by downpours and flooding.
Nguyen Van Tien, Deputy Director ofthe Vietnam Disaster Management Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture andRural Development, said Vietnamese cities, especially major ones, are centresof economic, social, and cultural activities and also concentrations ofinfrastructure facilities and residential areas. They are exposed to manydisaster risks, including flooding, which requires proactive preventive andtimely response measures.
However, disaster response measuresfor cities have yet to receive due attention. The application of science andtechnology to disaster risk management in urban areas remains limited. Guidancefor safe urban management, especially in terms of housing, water drainage, and treeplanting, hasn’t been carried out concertedly.
Dr Seneka, Director for climateresponse of the programme on urban resilience to climate extremes in SoutheastAsia (URCE) of the Asian Disaster Preprardness Centre, said that in 2015, therewere more urban residents (54%) than rural ones (46%) around the world. Atleast 61% of the global population are predicted to live in cities by 2030.
Therefore, it is important to improvecities’ resilience through early warning and quick response. The resilience ofcities means that of their individuals, communities, organisations,enterprises, and systems to survive, adapt, and develop, according to theexport.
In 2022, many localities took actionsto prevent and fight urban flooding.
Among them, some in the northern andnorth-central regions have been implementing an EU-funded project to improvethe climate resilience of urban infrastructure. Theyconsist of Phat Diem township (Ninh Binh province), Ngoc Lac township (ThanhHoa province), Hoang Mai town (Nghe An province), and Huong Khe and Thach Hatownships (Ha Tinh province).
About measures for climate changeadaptation in Vietnamese cities, Hoang Thi Thao, Director of the Climate ChangeDepartment under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, held thatit is necessary to survey and assess climate change impacts, create climatemaps for cities, and include climate issues in strategies, plans, and riskwarnings for these areas.
In addition, authorities shouldoverhaul policies on urban development and planning amid growing climate changerisks, implement structural solutions to mitigate negative impacts of climaterisks, issue appropriate resettlement measures, increase communications toraise authorities and communities’ capacity, and boost scientific and technologicalresearches to develop green, smart, and ecological cities adapting to climatechange, she noted./.
VNA
