Ý Yên district proactively implements "4 on-site" and "3 ready" measures to respond to natural disasters.

Faced with increasingly complex developments of climate change, Ý Yên district has proactively and synchronously deployed plans for natural disaster prevention and control (PCTT) and search and rescue (TKCN) according to the motto "4 on-site" and "3 ready" to ensure absolute safety of life and property of the State and people, minimizing damage caused by natural disasters.

Disaster prevention and control materials are gathered at a key point on Ta Day dike, district of Y Yen.

Ý Yên district has 3 rivers, Đào, Đáy, Chanh, flowing through the area, so it is often located in an area affected by storms, floods and localized inundation. The whole district has 2 main level II dykes, Ta Đáy and Hữu Đào, with a total length of nearly 40km and more than 30km of dykes, production embankments, and a series of other disaster prevention works such as embankments, culverts, pumping stations, and regulating dams. Along with that, there are many works, factories, and enterprises in operation and about 3,430 households living in areas outside the dykes, inside and outside the embankments, areas at high risk of being affected by natural disasters.

With the attention of the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People's Committee and the coordination of provincial departments and branches, the dyke and embankment routes in the district have been invested and upgraded, such as: the Ta Day dike route, which is more than 32km long, has been mostly concreted and many sections of the dike surface have been expanded, 22 culverts under the dike have been repaired and maintained for stable operation; the Huu Dao dike route, which is nearly 7.7km long, has been concreted... basically meeting the requirements for disaster prevention and control. However, there are still weaknesses that need to be overcome, such as the dike surface being cracked, some culverts have been degraded such as Tay Vinh culvert, Dong Duy culvert, Yen Bang culvert... Similar situations have also been recorded on the Huu Dao dike route and the embankment routes, where there are many landslides, leaks, and seepage due to the impact of storm No. 3 (storm YAGI ) in 2024. The embankment works in the area have been upgraded step by step, but there are still many degraded sections such as Xung Tan embankment, part of Quy Do embankment. Along with that, the irrigation system has also been solidified at many level I and II routes, but the completion rate at level III is still low, requiring continued synchronous investment. The district is implementing a full assessment of natural disaster risks and risk zoning to ensure the development of realistic and effective prevention and response plans. Phenomena such as storms, floods, low pressure, lightning, drought, cold, landslides, etc. are all identified as frequently occurring and are classified according to risk levels. In particular, the district has recorded many flooded areas over 2m deep during the 2024 flood season, affecting nearly 7,500 hectares of rice, hundreds of hectares of crops and aquatic products; nearly 1,000 households were flooded from 1-3m; a number of relics and traditional markets were also seriously affected. This reality poses an urgent requirement for the district to improve proactive prevention instead of just "fighting" after natural disasters occur.

Based on the Central's instructions and Plan No. 72/KH-UBND dated April 18, 2025 of the Provincial People's Committee on Disaster Prevention and Control and Search and Rescue in Nam Dinh Province in 2025, Ý Yên District has developed a Disaster Prevention and Control and Search and Rescue plan for 2025 with clear and specific tasks, following the motto "4 on-site" (on-site command; on-site forces; on-site means and materials; on-site logistics) and "3 ready" (proactive prevention; timely response; urgent and effective recovery). The District's Disaster Prevention and Control and Search and Rescue Command Committee has been quickly consolidated, establishing disaster prevention clusters on the dike and an inland flood prevention unit; assigning specific tasks to each member and operating according to assigned functions and tasks. To be ready to operate the PCTT plans, the PCTT and TKCN Command Committee of the district regularly closely monitors the weather situation, promptly issues telegrams and directives to communes and towns in the area, identifies vulnerable locations and notifies communes with residents living outside the dyke to have plans to evacuate when there is a risk of flooding. Directly command the handling of incidents from the first hour, ensuring the safety of the dyke system and minimizing damage caused by natural disasters. Currently, all conditions regarding human resources, material resources, and rescue equipment when necessary have been prepared. Of which, 100% of communes and towns have shock troops with a total force of over 2,400 people; mobilized more than 300 people to participate in patrol and guard forces. Regarding reserve materials, the district has prepared more than 2,500m3 of boulders, 167.7m3 of crushed stone, 66 sets of steel cages, 25 tents, 297 life jackets, 8 rafts, 822 round buoys, nearly 10,000m2 of wave-breaking tarpaulin, 4,700 sacks; of which 23 tents, 255 life jackets, 7 rafts, 622 round buoys have been allocated to the communes along the dike to manage. In addition, the communes and towns have also prepared other materials such as wave-breaking tarpaulin, additional 750m3 of reserve soil near the culverts under the dike, 38,500 bamboo trees, 22,000 fences, small trucks, etc. Households have also proactively prepared many sacks to contain soil to support flood prevention and control when necessary.

In the 2024-2025 winter-spring irrigation campaign, the District Irrigation Works Exploitation One Member Co., Ltd. coordinated with the Agriculture Board of communes, towns, and agricultural cooperatives to exceed the plan of digging and dredging, clearing the flow to ensure irrigation, regulating water for production and disaster prevention. In mid-May, the district organized a drill on the 2025 disaster prevention and control plan in Yen Phuc commune with 2 main contents according to the motto "4 on-site" and "3 ready": operating the mechanism and practicing handling complex natural disaster situations. Through specific situations, close to the actual situation of the locality, the drill contributed to improving the command, operation, and proactive response capacity of Party committees and authorities at all levels in all worst-case scenarios when storms and floods occur. At the same time, raise people's vigilance, the readiness of the shock force to coordinate with functional forces to urgently evacuate people and overcome incidents to minimize damage to people, property and protect production.

The district has integrated disaster risk prevention and climate change adaptation into socio-economic development planning. Accordingly, all general and specialized planning of the district, from urban infrastructure to agricultural production, from irrigation to industry, must assess risks and adjust them in accordance with disaster scenarios. New development projects are required to assess disaster impacts and commit to risk mitigation. The district also requires that any planning that does not meet the safety criteria before natural disasters must be adjusted or eliminated; this is a shift in thinking from "coping" to "smart prevention", in line with the spirit of the National Strategy for Disaster Prevention and Control to 2030, vision 2050.

With the participation of the entire political system following the motto of "4 on-site" and "3 ready" along with the initiative of the people, Ý Yên district is determined to minimize human and property damage caused by natural disasters as the rainy and stormy season approaches.

Article and photos: Ngoc Anh

Source: https://baonamdinh.vn/kinh-te/202506/huyen-y-yen-chu-dong4-tai-cho-3-san-sang-ung-pho-thien-tai-58734c1/