Directive No. 224-TTg on flood and storm prevention work, disaster mitigation in 1993

DIRECTIVE

ON THE WORK OF PREVENTING AND COMBATING FLOODS AND STORMS, MITIGATING DISASTERS IN 1993

In recent years, natural disasters have occurred in many countries around the world, causing serious consequences. In our country, floods and storms occur every year with varying degrees of severity across many regions from north to south, resulting in significant losses of life and property in many localities throughout the country. Entering 1993, weather patterns cannot yet be predicted for long periods, but it is necessary to note that the Red River has not experienced major flooding for 22 years.

Following the Decree on Dikes published in November 1989; our State recently issued the Decree on Preventing and Combating Floods and Storms on March 20, 1993, regulating comprehensively throughout the national territory, reflecting the Party and State's concern for the annual consolidation of dike systems to prevent and combat floods and storms in our country, contributing practically to responding to the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (1990-2000).

Given the above situation, the Prime Minister requests central ministries and sectors, and provincial People's Committees to heighten vigilance, consolidate dike systems including river dikes and sea dikes, embankments, and flood control reservoirs, strengthen flood and storm prevention work, proactively prepare to deal with all situations regarding rain, floods, storms, whirlwinds, waterlogging, drought, rising sea levels, land erosion, and diseases affecting humans and livestock, crops that may occur; they must pay special attention to doing the following main tasks:

1. Provincial People's Committees directly under the Central Government and central ministries and sectors must organize a summary and draw lessons learned from disaster prevention and mitigation work over the past few years, especially in 1992, to promptly supplement plans and measures for flood and storm prevention in 1993. Each locality and each sector should base their actions on Directive No. 164/CT dated May 12, 1992, of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers (now the Prime Minister) on flood and storm prevention and disaster mitigation work, reviewing each task assigned, what has been accomplished, and what has not been accomplished, to continue implementing this year.

2. Provincial People's Committees with dikes (including river dikes and sea dikes) must organize a mid-term review of three years of implementing the Decree on Dikes in their respective localities; they need to take strict measures to handle violations of the Decree on Dikes. They should direct the acceleration of dike construction progress before the 1993 flood season, not only for volumes funded by the Central Government but also for those funded by local budgets and flood control repair funds contributed by the people. Relevant central ministries and sectors should also organize a mid-term review of three years of implementing the Decree on Dikes concerning issues related to their sectors.

3. Based on the Decree on Preventing and Combating Floods and Storms dated March 20, 1993, and the Government's Circular guiding the implementation of the Decree on Preventing and Combating Floods and Storms which will soon be issued, the Prime Minister requests central ministries and sectors to issue circulars guiding vertical sectors nationwide to effectively implement flood and storm prevention work. The Prime Minister requests provincial People's Committees directly under the Central Government to issue directives guiding specific contents to be implemented in their respective localities.

4. Regarding the local flood control fund contributed by the people according to the provisions of the Decree on Preventing and Combating Floods and Storms, 40 provinces and cities have already implemented it, and it is necessary to conduct a mid-term review, draw lessons learned, promote collection efforts, and strictly manage expenditures to ensure effectiveness. Central ministries and sectors need to instruct subordinate units within their sectors located in certain areas to participate in contributing to the local flood control fund.

All sectors and levels nationwide must strengthen their flood and storm prevention command boards, truly considering flood and storm prevention as a central task during the rainy and stormy season, and linking it with the implementation of action programs to respond to the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction by each sector and locality.

The Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention, the National Committee for the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction of Vietnam, and the State Inspectorate shall coordinate to inspect and urge localities and sectors to implement this directive well and report the results to the Prime Minister./.