Directive No. 32/2004/CT-TTg on Measures to Prevent and Mitigate Flash Floods in Mountainous Provinces

DIRECTIVE

On Measures to Prevent and Mitigate Flash Floods in Mountainous Provinces

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In recent years, mountainous provinces have frequently experienced floods, landslides, and rockfalls, particularly flash floods which have caused significant losses in terms of human lives and property, as well as environmental damage.

To proactively prevent and mitigate the damage caused by flash floods, the Prime Minister instructs relevant ministries, sectors, and localities to implement the following measures:

I. The People's Committees of mountainous provinces shall be responsible for:

1. Directing the investigation and statistics of residential areas, villages, and households living in regions directly affected by flash floods and natural disasters (areas near rivers, streams, slopes of thin surface soil prone to landslides...). Based on this, they shall develop specific plans to prevent and mitigate flash floods for communes, villages, hamlets, households, and organize drills to enhance the awareness of proactive prevention among the people; at the same time, they shall set up warning signs in high-risk areas for flash floods, promptly inform and warn residents to prepare adequately; for households living in high-risk areas for flash floods, they must direct the relocation of residents to safe locations.

2. During the process of directing the development of the Program to Prevent and Mitigate Flash Floods, they shall closely integrate the implementation of programs and targets such as the Poverty Eradication Program, the Socio-Economic Development Program for Particularly Difficult Communes, the Population Stabilization Program, and other programs in the area, ensuring effectiveness.

3. Review and adjust the construction of projects under the "135" Program, the Reinforcement of School Buildings Program, etc., to both avoid flash floods and serve as safe evacuation sites when necessary.

4. Provide simple rain-measuring equipment and guide communes within high-risk areas for flash floods on how to use these measuring tools to issue timely warnings (by drum, bell...) and alert the public.

5. Strengthen and consolidate the Flood and Storm Prevention Command at all levels, especially at the district and commune levels; ensure communication services for command operations and strictly adhere to duty roster, information, and reporting systems regarding flash flood and natural disaster developments in accordance with regulations; direct communes, villages, and hamlets to develop response plans for flash floods and natural disasters based on the principle of "Four Localities".

6. For long-term solutions: provinces need to develop comprehensive planning for resettling residents, production activities, crop structures, and infrastructure construction in areas at risk of flash floods as a basis for developing flash flood prevention programs and specific projects to effectively implement. declare effectively.

II. Relevant Central Ministries and Sectors Shall Be Responsible For:

1. Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development:

Study and establish criteria for identifying areas at risk of flash floods; compile specialized materials and organize training on flash flood prevention for mountainous provinces; guide provinces in integrating ongoing programs and targets in their areas with the relocation of households living in high-risk areas for flash floods to stabilize populations for development.

Direct localities to restore and plant forests in areas susceptible to flash floods. Prioritize allocating funds from the New Forest Planting Project to implement this.

2. Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment shall plan to supplement and strengthen material resources, machinery, and means for meteorological and hydrological stations located in mountainous provinces to provide timely data for early forecasting of rainfall, floods, and timely warnings of flash flood risks.  rain, floods, and timely warnings of flash flood risks.

3. Mass media agencies shall closely cooperate with specialized agencies to effectively carry out publicity and dissemination of knowledge and experiences related to flash flood and natural disaster prevention.

4. Ministry of Science and Technology shall consider and propose scientific research topics on topographical features, weather, climate conditions, causes, and factors leading to flash floods, serving as a basis for developing effective flash flood prevention programs.  prevent and mitigate flash floods effectively.

5. The Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention shall be responsible for supervising, inspecting, and regularly reporting to the Prime Minister on the implementation of flash flood prevention measures by localities and relevant ministries and sectors.

The Prime Minister requests that ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of agencies under the Government, and chairpersons of provincial people's committees directly under the central government organize the implementation of this Directive./.