Flood prevention

At present, the Steering Committee for Natural Disasters Prevention and Search and Rescue in Lai Chau province has directed local authorities and the transport sector to mobilise forces to deal with the aftermath of any landslides to ensure that traffic is able to return to normal as soon as possible. With regard to villages and residential areas that are at high risk of being hit by flash floods and landslides, local authorities have actively raised awareness among residents about the preventive measures and helped evacuate them to temporary shelters in an effort to ensure their safety. … [Read more...] about Heavy downpours, landslides ravage Lai Chau province

Jakarta (VNA) – A state of emergency over land and forest fires was declared in Central Kalimantan province of Indonesia on June 30, following the finding of over 700 hotspots and wildfires in some local areas. Governor Sugianto Sabran said people of Central Kalimantan are dealing with many challenges, namely the COVID-19 pandemic, fires, and floods. Meanwhile, acting head of the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency Darliansyah said the emergency status will last until September 28 so as to develop synergies in an effort to prevent the disaster. The World Bank estimated that total damage and economic loss from forest fires in Indonesia from June to October 2019 surpassed 5 billion USD, equal to 0.5 percent of the country’s GDP. Over 900,000 people reported respiratory illnesses, 12 national airports halted operations, and hundreds of schools in Indonesia and nearby Malaysia and Singapore had to temporarily close due to forest fires in the archipelago … [Read more...] about Indonesian province declares state of emergency over forest fires

After learning how to use malt as bait, Khanh caught more cockroaches. Now, as the fishing season approaches, anglers from southern provinces like Tien Giang and Ben Tre are the first to call on him. Khanh even delivers cockroaches via bus, safely placed inside paper boxes. … [Read more...] about Saigon’s last cockroach hunter

The PM ordered the Ministry of Industry and Trade to take measures to stabilise prices for petrol, electricity and potable water. Vietnam Electricity (EVN), the country's largest power company, announced earlier in June they would not raise electricity price this year and look into complaints made by customers who had their power bill increased by disproportionate amounts. … [Read more...] about VN to keep inflation under 4 per cent

The finance ministry and the State Bank of Vietnam presented their forecast in which Việt Nam's CPI for the year 2020 would range from 3.5 to 4.1 per cent. This left some room for the committee to manoeuvre but policymakers said caution is advised as the global economy was likely to stay gloomy in the near future due to the pandemic.  … [Read more...] about VN aims to keep inflation under 4 per cent while maintaining growth