Raising awareness and united action

Looking back at 5 years of thoroughly implementing Directive No. 42-CT/TW, dated March 24, 2020 of the Secretariat on strengthening the Party's leadership in the work of preventing, responding to and overcoming the consequences of natural disasters, Cu Lao Dung district has always been proactive, determined and urgent. Based on documents from the Central and the province, the District People's Committee has promptly disseminated and widely deployed to Party committees, authorities and people in the area and urgently developed many directive documents, programs and specific action plans.

Cu Lao Dung District (Soc Trang) launched a campaign to plant trees and prevent landslides. Photo: EARLY MAI

To effectively implement, Cu Lao Dung has taken awareness as a method of action. According to comrade Huynh Thanh An - Permanent Vice Chairman of Cu Lao Dung District People's Committee, the unit regularly coordinates with the Fatherland Front and mass organizations to promote propaganda work, mobilize people of all walks of life to actively participate in activities to prevent, respond to and overcome the consequences of natural disasters. At the same time, focus on leading, directing and organizing well the study and dissemination in many diverse and rich forms so that the entire political system and people clearly understand the purpose, content, guiding ideology and policies of the Party and State on innovation, development, and improving the effectiveness of prevention, response and overcoming the consequences of natural disasters. In particular, the district is interested in methods and forms of propaganda on social networks, mass media channels and mobile propaganda to residential areas in the area to proactively prevent. Every year, the district successfully implements the National Disaster Prevention and Control Week (May 15-22) and the traditional day of disaster prevention and control in Vietnam (May 22) to raise awareness and prevention skills.

Every year, the district promptly completes the Civil Defense - PCTT and Search and Rescue Command Committee. At that time, there are specific tasks assigned to each member from the district to the commune and town; assigning responsibilities for the area and announcing the assignment of duty schedules when natural disasters occur; developing response plans for each type of natural disaster in the town; sending people to training courses... At the same time, regularly monitor and update meteorological and hydrological information to promptly and accurately warn and forecast the development of natural disasters, proactively deploy measures to prevent and effectively respond to natural disasters, and minimize damage.

Leaders of Cu Lao Dung district (Soc Trang) promptly directed the prevention, control and overcoming of natural disasters, not to affect the people. Photo: SỘM MAI

In addition, the district also strengthens the management of irrigation works, the management of protection corridors of irrigation works, protection corridors of culverts and dikes. During the rainy and flood seasons, specialized agencies grasp the developments of natural disasters and promptly warn the people. Specialized agencies also coordinate to install salinity measuring stations at the headwaters and main river mouths in the area; disseminate and update information on applications and bulletins of the Hydrometeorological Station to monitor water sources and salinity developments, especially when natural disasters are forecasted to occur to advise, direct and promptly notify people to proactively prevent.

Mobilizing all resources to prevent and combat natural disasters

According to comrade Huynh Thanh An, the district has established a Civil Defense - Disaster Prevention and Control and Search and Rescue Command Committee in accordance with regulations. A disaster prevention and control shock team with 800 members is established as the core force including militia, police, military, unions, and social organizations of communes and towns according to Decision No. 15/QD-TWPCTT, dated July 23, 2021 of the Central Steering Committee on Disaster Prevention and Control and Directive No. 18/CT-TTg, dated July 9, 2021 of the Prime Minister on building, consolidating, and improving the capacity of the commune-level disaster prevention and control shock force.

Specialized agencies of Cu Lao Dung district regularly inspect construction works and reinforce dikes. Photo: SỘM MAI

Over the past 5 years, Cu Lao Dung district has mobilized all resources for flood control and prevention according to the "four on-site" motto to be ready to help people quickly overcome the consequences of natural disasters and stabilize their lives. Every year, the district integrates projects into the local socio-economic development plan such as: repairing the system of 26 large saltwater prevention sluices on the left, right and sea dykes; dredging the canal system to create sources and carry out irrigation work in the fields, with an annual investment of 15 - 20 billion VND. In 2024 alone, the People's Committee of Cu Lao Dung district has arranged dredging, reinforcing embankments, reinforcing dams to store fresh water combined with flood prevention and control from the capital source supporting irrigation products and public services. Implementing 19 dredging projects; 16 projects to reinforce dykes, dams and build structures to prevent landslides and respond to high tides with a total length of 17,139m and an implementation cost of 5,575 billion VND.

Identifying the application of science and technology as a key and effective task and solution in preventing, responding to and overcoming the consequences of natural disasters. Therefore, the district has proactively applied information technology and automation in managing, exploiting and operating databases and tools to support direction and administration. At the same time, applying software in forecasting, warning and managing risks caused by high tides and salinity on rivers from the Soc Trang app and the weather.com website on weather forecasting in the district. The District Civil Defense - PCTT and Search and Rescue Command also established a Zalo group, PCTT at the district level and went down to the area to promptly direct the work of responding to natural disasters. In addition, the district also maximizes the role of the Fatherland Front, organizations and people in preventing, responding to and overcoming the consequences of natural disasters.

Comrade Huynh Thanh An said that the district will continue to effectively implement Directive No. 42-CT/TW, dated March 24, 2020 of the Secretariat and related documents to strengthen the work of preventing, responding to and overcoming the consequences of natural disasters in the area. Well implement the motto "4 on-site" and the principles of prevention, proactiveness, timely response, overcoming the consequences; promote the combined strength in disaster prevention and control and search and rescue work at all levels. Strengthen the dissemination and propaganda of laws; inform, propagate, warn, raise awareness for cadres, civil servants, public employees and people about experiences in proactively preventing and responding to situations and incidents, minimizing risks and damage when natural disasters occur. Pay attention to coordinating with units to organize training courses for cadres doing this work; Proactively arrange human resources, materials, vehicles, equipment, necessities, and plans for disaster prevention and control to deploy plans to respond to storms every year.

With the trend of climate change, sea level rise occurring rapidly and complicatedly, natural disasters may increase, become unusual, and cause increasingly serious damage. Therefore, the requirements for prevention, response, and overcoming the consequences of natural disasters in the coming time need to be strong, comprehensive, and mobilize the combined strength of the entire political system and society to reduce damage caused by natural disasters, contributing to the increasingly sustainable development of Cu Lao Dung district.

MORNING