Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has decided to fund more than VND1 trillion for 51 provinces to upgrade their dike and embankment systems to combat future floods.

Farmers build a 500 metre dike and embankment to combat anticipated floods in Tuy Phuoc District, Binh Dinh Province.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Dike Management Department said that nearly 30 out of the 51 provinces are in the central and southern areas which are most directly affected by heavy rains, high tides and floods.

The most vulnerable localities in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta include Can Tho, Long An, Soc Trang, Ca Mau and HCM City, with the flooding occupying from a quarter to half of each locality’s area.

Nguyen Van Nam, head of Kien Giang Province’s Dike Management Department, said that more than 55km of dikes in Ca Mau and 35km in Kien Giang were breached by recent floods.

Vanished

A one-kilometre section in Kien Giang’s Hon Dat District has completely disappeared, and between three and four kilometres each in Soc Trang and Bac Lieu provinces are in danger of being seriously eroded.

Nam said that hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated at that time to ensure their safety. Nearly 20 northern provinces such as Thai Binh, Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh, Hai Phong and Hai Duong also received funding because about 78 per cent of Hong (Red) River Delta’s 1,486,000ha are protected by a dike system.

Dung asked the Ministry of Planning and Investment to be responsible for allocating the fund, based on the specifics of their dike projects.

Provincial People’s Committees will be tasked with managing the fund and the quality of the projects.

Dung said that in conjunction with this fund, the 51 provinces would actively use the local budgets in building and upgrading the dike and embankment projects to ensure public safety.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News