Workshop studies how technology can help cope with natural disasters

It was reported at the event that in August alone, more than 30 people were killed or are still missing after floods countrywide.

Statistics show natural disasters killed 218 people last year, causing 20 trillion VND (863 million USD) worth of damage. In 2017, natural disasters killed 386 people resulting in 60 trillion VND (2.58 billion USD) worth of  damage.

Speaking at the workshop, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said that it requires the participation of not only experts and scientists but also the private sector to apply science and technology to cope with natural disasters.

"We need solutions from diverse groups that took advantage of human achievements in science and technology," he said.

Science and technology should focus on activities of forecasting, early warning systems, coping with the problems, remedying and re-constructing, he said, adding that this would minimise damages that natural disasters cause to both human lives and property.

It was also important because Vietnam was listed among five countries suffering the most from climate change and because the country recorded extreme weather phenomena that caused adverse effects on the nation’s socio-economic development in recent years, he said.

It is estimated that natural disasters caused a loss of 1-1.5 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) each year during the past two decades.

Dang Quang Minh, acting director of the National Disaster Management Department under the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority, said the authority was concentrating on applying science and technology to raise public awareness of natural disaster prevention.

He cited using Facebook to disseminate the importance of natural disaster prevention and running an e-learning system to train staff as examples.

The authority was also making video clips using 3D graphics to introduce people how to prevent and cope better, he said.

Doan Thi Tuyet Nga, head of the Science, Technology and International Relations Department under the authority, suggested authorised agencies build databases on dykes, landslides and floods.

Also at the workshop, participants discussed and shared experiences of issues related to a pilot system for early warning of flash floods in the northern mountainous provinces of Lao Cai and Yen Bai, technology to manage dykes and treat coastal erosion in the Mekong Delta.