Binh Dinh receives VND80 billion to deal with flood consequences

PM Phuc and a State mission had a working session with local authorities on Wednesday afternoon for urgent measures to overcome the consequences of flooding in the locality.

As reported by Binh Dinh province, five major floods in November and early December 2016 inundated all 11 administrative districts, towns and the city, leaving 39 people believed to be dead or missing, over 97,000 houses damaged and inundated, more than 128 km of roads damaged, 17,300 ha of winter-spring rice crops destroyed and over 200,000 heads of cattle and poultry washed away. The damages caused by the floods is estimated at nearly VND2 trillion (US$88 million).

Binh Dinh leaders also said that the floods were at a record high in the locality in over 50 years. The province has stepped up efforts in flood prevention and remedial measures, concentrating on evacuating people from dangerous areas.

PM Phuc conveyed the sympathy of the Party, State and the Vietnam Fatherland Front to people from eight provinces in the central region and Gia Lai province in the Central Highlands, particularly Binh Dinh, the hardest-hit locality, suffering heavy losses due to the flooding.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and a Government delegation work with key leaders of Binh Dinh province on post-flood recovery efforts. (Credit: VGP)

He affirmed that the immediate urgent task for the entire political system of Binh Dinh Province is visiting, encouraging and supporting locals after the flood, while launching movements to receive more support and providing aid to flood victims.

He urged the locality to collaborate with relevant ministries and agencies to urgently repair damaged infrastructure to ensure smooth traffic and implement post-flood disease prevention, in addition to promptly facilitating students to return to school.

At the meeting, Chairman of Binh Dinh Province People’s Committee Ho Quoc Dung suggested the PM consider providing support to the province worth VND500 billion to repair damaged transport infrastructure and irrigation systems and restore production and people’s livelihoods.

He also requested 3,000 tonnes of rice for relief for locals affected by the floods, while exempting tuition fees for high school students, providing books for more than 50,000 students and providing medicine, medical supplies and seeds to local people.

Also on December 21, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development sent four working groups to the scene to support Binh Dinh farmers in the upcoming winter-spring crops.