Changing thinking and methods of natural disaster prevention and control

In the era of national development, units and localities need to change their thinking and methods in preventing and combating natural disasters, ensuring safety and sustainable development in the face of natural disasters and incidents...

That is the conclusion of the direction of Vice Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee, Deputy Head of the Standing Committee of the City's Natural Disaster Prevention and Control Command Nguyen Manh Quyen at the conference to summarize the work in 2024 and deploy tasks in 2025 organized by the Hanoi City's Natural Disaster Prevention and Control Command and Search and Rescue on the morning of May 16.

Vice Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee commends collectives and individuals with outstanding achievements in natural disaster prevention and control in 2024. Photo: Kim Nhue

Learned a lot

The report at the conference showed that in 2024, many types of extreme weather and natural disasters occurred in Hanoi; including 2 storms, 7 periods of moderate rain, heavy rain to very heavy rain. Hanoi's main rivers experienced 4-6 floods, including 1 particularly large flood compared to the past 20 years. The flood peak above level III warning level at Bui River lasted for 18 days, Tich River for 19 days, Ca Lo River for 6 days...

Director of Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Xuan Dai awarded Certificates of Merit from the City People's Committee to collectives and individuals with outstanding achievements in natural disaster prevention and control in 2024. Photo: Kim Nhue

Before, during and after each natural disaster, Hanoi city has resolutely led and directed from early on and from afar. Units and localities have implemented many synchronous solutions. Authorities and people have actively prevented, responded and overcome the consequences. Thanks to that, the level of damage in the city has been reduced compared to the intensity of other types of natural disasters. However, the loss of life and property remains high: 9 people died, 28 people were injured; 256 houses collapsed, toppled and swept away; more than 23,000 hectares of rice and vegetables were lost and damaged; more than 130,000 trees were fallen and broken...

Major General Duong Duc Hai, Deputy Director of Hanoi City Police, shared his unit's experience in natural disaster prevention, control, and search and rescue. Photo: Kim Nhuệ

Speaking at the conference, representatives of units and localities frankly pointed out a number of shortcomings and limitations, such as: Infrastructure and equipment for disaster prevention, search and rescue work currently do not meet the requirements of high disaster intensity; a part of the people have inadequate awareness, are still subjective, and take things lightly, leading to a lack of positivity and initiative in preparing plans, options, forces, and means to respond to situations...

In addition, delegates also shared many experiences in responding to some types of natural disasters. According to Major General Duong Duc Hai, Deputy Director of Hanoi City Police, when heavy rain and flooding occur, the City Police directs units at the grassroots level to focus on screening, evacuating, and helping people in flooded areas; organizing traffic diversion, road closures, and traffic regulation in flooded areas; strengthening management of areas, residences, and maintaining security and order in temporary and evacuation areas; patrolling and protecting people's property left behind when evacuating...

Chairman of the People's Committee of Chuong My district Nguyen Anh Duc shared that, in addition to mobilizing the entire political system to participate and relying mainly on the people, Chuong My district always applies the principle of "Proactive prevention, timely response, urgent and effective recovery". Along with that is the thorough understanding and strict and effective implementation of the "4 on-site" motto before, during and after floods, natural disasters and incidents.

“In 2024, Chuong My district mobilized 6,323 people to support people in flooded areas to evacuate to safety; organized 3 centralized evacuation sites and provided enough necessities during the flood days for 9,052 people...”, Mr. Nguyen Anh Duc cited...

Never be passive or surprised.

Deputy Director of the Hydrometeorological Station of the Northern Delta and Midlands Nguyen Van Hiep commented on the weather and natural disasters in Hanoi in the coming months. Photo: Kim Nhue

Regarding the natural disaster situation in the remaining months of 2025, Deputy Director of the Hydrometeorological Station of the Northern Delta and Midlands Nguyen Van Hiep said that from now until July, there may be 2-3 storms or tropical depressions in the East Sea; one of which is likely to affect Hanoi. During this period, Hanoi will experience 2-4 spells of moderate to heavy rain over a wide area with thunderstorms, lightning, hail, and strong gusts of wind.

In the 2025 flood season, Hanoi's rivers may experience 3-5 floods. Notably, the peak flood level on the rivers: Tich, Bui, Nhue, Ca Lo is likely to reach from level II flood warning to level III flood warning, occurring from late July, August or early September.

Chairman of the People's Committee of Chuong My district Nguyen Anh Duc proposed that the city upgrade infrastructure to serve natural disaster prevention work in the area. Photo: Kim Nhue

To reduce damage caused by weather and natural disasters in 2025, the units and localities participating in the workshop proposed a number of solutions; at the same time, they recommended that the city increase investment in purchasing modern equipment for natural disaster forecasting, handling fire and explosion incidents, and tree collapse; provide additional funding when drought and prolonged flooding occur... The districts: Chuong My, Dan Phuong, Son Tay town... proposed that the city set up boundary markers to protect dike and irrigation works, creating a legal basis for handling and preventing violations; renovate and upgrade a number of dike routes and embankments to prevent riverbank erosion, and protect dikes...

Concluding the conference, Vice Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen commended the efforts of units and localities in preventing, responding to and overcoming the consequences of natural disasters in 2024, especially storm No. 3.

Assessing that the weather and natural disasters in the coming time will continue to be complicated and unpredictable, Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen requested all levels, sectors and localities to seriously implement Directive No. 02 of the Chairman of the City People's Committee on strengthening the work of natural disaster prevention, control and search and rescue in 2025, absolutely not to be passive or surprised by natural disasters and incidents...

Vice Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen directed to innovate thinking and methods of natural disaster prevention and control in the new situation. Photo: Kim Nhue

“In the new era, the era of national development, units and localities need to change their thinking, methods and approaches in disaster prevention, search and rescue, such as perfecting the disaster prevention and control command apparatus in a streamlined and efficient manner; investing in infrastructure and equipment; applying technology and digital transformation to improve the capacity for forecasting, warning and managing means and materials for disaster response and recovery.

“The Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment needs to study and propose investment in dyke lines that are 1 level more sustainable than current standards; build dyke lines in the direction of increasing load capacity, combined with traffic; renovate the dyke system must be associated with urban beautification; continue to study and ensure feasibility of solutions to prevent and combat forest floods... to ensure safety and sustainable development in the face of natural disasters and incidents,” Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen directed.

On this occasion, the City People's Committee awarded Certificates of Merit to 166 collectives and 171 individuals with achievements in the work of preventing, responding to, and overcoming the consequences of natural disasters in 2024, including Hanoi Moi Newspaper.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/thay-doi-tu-duy-phuong-phap-phong-chong-thien-tai-702448.html