New Zealand-funded project helps ensure dam safety
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on April 24 launched a project to ensure the safety of dams in Vietnam, which is funded by the Government of New Zealand.
Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on April 24launched a project to ensure the safety of dams in Vietnam, which is funded bythe Government of New Zealand.
Vietnam is one of countries vulnerable to natural disasters, especially stormsand floods which cause serious damage in humans and assets, said DeputyMinister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ha Cong Tuan.
Amidst climate change, extreme weather phenomena become more and morecomplicated, causing negative impacts, he noted.
He added that Vietnam is also facing difficulties in operating and managingflood prevention systems in river basins as well as in ensuring dam safety.
The country has about 7,000 water reservoirs, with many of them have beendowngrading, failing to meet requirements of safety in the operation process.
Many dam failures and incidents have been reported in thecountry in recent years, causing serious human and property losses in lowerareas. This poses an urgent need for efforts made by the Government andlocalities to better ensure dam safety and manage natural disasters.
Along with a similar project funded by the World Bank, the project is hoped to helpVietnam in improvement of dam quality and operation of dams and waterreservoirs, thus reducing damage caused by natural disasters.
According to Tuan, trade between Vietnam and New Zealand saw strong growth inrecent times, hitting 1.15 billion USD in 2016, doubling the figure recordedabout five years ago.
New Zealand has provided official development assistance to Vietnam in manyprojects, especially in agriculture and natural disaster risk management, Tuanadded.-VNA
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In an document issued on August 5, the PM emphasised the need to stablise living conditions for people hit by floods, landslides, and flash floods in late July and early August in northern and north-central provinces, especially Dien Bien, Son La, and Nghe An which suffered some of the worst damage.
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Illustrative image (Source: VNA) 
