The story of Mr. Ma Seo Chu, head of Kho Vang village, Coc Lau commune (Bac Ha district, Lao Cai province), leading 17 households comprising 115 people to evacuate to a mountain 1 km away from the residential area to seek refuge, amidst the impact of Typhoon Yagi (in September 2024) which caused many hills around the village to be saturated with water and at risk of landslides and collapse onto houses at any time, is one of the proofs of the value of indigenous knowledge and community experience in disaster prevention and mitigation.
Passed down through generations, this knowledge, if fully utilized, could be highly effective in responding to and mitigating damage in the context of increasingly severe natural disasters. No one understands the natural disasters around them better than the people and communities in that area, enabling them to respond quickly and appropriately. Unfortunately, indigenous knowledge and community experience, like that of Mr. Ma Seo Chứ in many localities, have been and are being neglected.
Our people hope that policy research institutions and scientists will strengthen cooperation, gathering knowledge from village elders, community leaders, and local people's experiences on specific issues such as improving drainage systems in mountainous areas, protecting trees to reduce landslide risks, flood avoidance skills, storm evacuation, and developing scenarios for responding to climate change.
How can we effectively implement the "four on-the-spot" disaster prevention plan, maximizing the strength of the people? Perhaps the most important issue is raising community awareness and managing disaster risks based on community participation, starting from each family. Simultaneously, the government needs to equip the people with comprehensive knowledge and modern skills, elevating them to a professional level, to respond promptly to all circumstances and types of unexpected natural disasters.
Source: https://baolaocai.vn/thanh-luy-phong-chong-thien-tai-post403281.html
Comment (0)