Responding to Vietnam's National Week for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control: Proactively adapting, building safe and sustainable communities against natural disasters

Nghia Hung plants additional protective forests, waves, landslide prevention, dikes protection, and aquaculture ponds against unpredictable natural disasters.

Community is the center of disaster prevention and control

According to the definition of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), a resilient community is one that proactively prepares for, responds effectively to, recovers quickly and maintains essential functions after natural disasters. This requires synchronous investment in sustainable infrastructure, raising community awareness, developing diverse livelihoods and strengthening the connection between the government and the people.

As a coastal province with 72km of coastline, many rivers and canals, a large dike system of 663km, including 91km of sea dikes and 572km of river dikes, and located in an area that is regularly affected by storms, floods, high tides and rising sea levels, for Nam Dinh, disaster prevention and control is a key, long-term task. In recent years, the province has continuously invested in upgrading the dike system, pumping stations, regulating sluices, reservoirs, etc.; consolidating the traffic, electricity and telecommunications systems, ensuring smooth operation during the rainy and stormy season. The synchronous development of infrastructure not only serves economic development but is also a vital factor in protecting people's lives when natural disasters occur. However, most of the dikes were built a long time ago, and many sections have now degraded and do not meet the design elevation, especially the new sea dike line can only withstand level 10 storms and average tides. Faced with that reality, the province has actively mobilized and prioritized resources to repair, consolidate, and gradually improve the disaster prevention and control capacity of the dike system. Every year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment allocates about 45 billion VND for the maintenance, repair, and incident handling of dikes in Nam Dinh. Currently, the province is implementing a project to upgrade a number of key dike and embankment sections with a total length of nearly 5km, with a total investment of 150 billion VND, to be implemented in the period 2024-2027. At the same time, the province has also approved a component project to build the Con Tron and Hai Thinh sea dykes (Hai Hau) under the program to strengthen sea dykes in the Northern region, with a total capital of 500 billion VND from the central budget...

The province's leadership and direction in disaster prevention and control is to shift from passive response to proactive adaptation, always focusing on people, focusing on prevention, persistently implementing the "4 on-site" motto from the provincial level to the village level. Disaster prevention and control plans, search and rescue are updated closely to the reality of each region, from coastal districts such as Giao Thuy, Hai Hau, Nghia Hung to inland areas; evacuation plans, rescue and search in vulnerable areas are always ready and flexible according to the situation; attach importance to improving community capacity in disaster prevention and control. Disaster risk forecasting and warning work is increasingly improved, early information is transmitted through multiple channels through the radio system, social networks, community Zalo groups, etc. Every year, thousands of cadres, teachers, students and people are trained in disaster response skills, evacuation, rescue and disaster risk management. The drills are organized close to reality in key areas, helping to improve the command and management capacity of the government, while increasing the ability of the people to respond quickly and accurately. The province also pays special attention to strengthening the grassroots shock force, the people's dike management force, dike patrol and guard force... These are "quick response" forces at the grassroots level, helping to detect and handle incidents early, protecting the safety of dikes from the first hour. The community, from the elderly, women to youth - are gradually becoming "PCTT soldiers" right where they live.

Along with response solutions, Nam Dinh province advocates integrating the PCTT program with new rural construction, restructuring the agricultural sector and developing a green economy . Coastal districts have strengthened protection, planted additional protective forests to block waves, prevent landslides, protect dykes, aquaculture ponds and limit salinity. The conversion to organic agricultural production models and sustainable aquaculture also contributes to reducing dependence on weather and improving the ability to adapt to climate change. Many localities have proactively changed crop seasons, introduced drought-resistant, salt-resistant, pest-resistant crop and livestock varieties suitable for unusual weather conditions. At the same time, the province encourages enterprises and cooperatives to develop agricultural production and processing value chains associated with traceability, and develop environmentally friendly and climate-sustainable agricultural product brands.

From response to adaptation

Responding to the National Disaster Prevention Week 2025, Nam Dinh province identified: Natural disasters are increasingly unpredictable, not following traditional rules, so this is a key time to consolidate forces, thinking and new approaches in disaster prevention work. The consistent spirit in this year's response activities is to shift from passive response to proactive adaptation, from situation handling to long-term risk management. Accordingly, authorities at all levels and functional sectors closely follow the province's direction to focus on building a safe - proactive - flexible community in the face of climate change, focusing on improving people's self-protection capacity, linking disaster prevention with sustainable development planning, especially in building advanced and exemplary new rural areas. Notably, departments, branches, sectors and localities have proactively arranged reasonable funding, avoiding ostentation and waste, focusing on in-depth activities such as: hanging billboards and posters to raise public awareness at agencies and residential areas; disseminating documents and videos on disaster response instructions in newspapers, television and social networks. Localities have reviewed, updated and completed disaster prevention and control plans in a realistic manner, with sufficient scenarios and resources; prioritized consolidating and improving the effectiveness of grassroots shock troops; focused on inventorying and supplementing "4 on-site" materials and means. Specialized departments coordinate to inspect and repair degraded dikes, reservoirs and drainage works, especially in coastal areas and low-lying areas.

With proactive, persistent and scientific steps, Nam Dinh is striving to protect people's lives and property, creating a solid foundation to build a safe community that can flexibly adapt to all forms of natural disasters in the present and future.

Article and photos: Thanh Thuy

Source: https://baonamdinh.vn/kinh-te/202505/huong-ung-tuan-le-quoc-gia-phong-chong-thien-tai-viet-nam-chu-dong-thich-ung-xay-dung-cong-dongan-toan-ben-vung-truoc-thien-tai-6354919/