Ca Mau: Coastal residents to benefit from disaster risk reduction project

The Ca Mau project, funded by Save the Children Korea, will be carried out from now through to 2020 at a total cost of nearly 10 billion VND (432,300 USD). The coastal communes taking part are Tam Giang Tay and Vien An of Ngoc Hien district, and Nguyen Viet Khai and Phu Tan of Phu Tan district.

Project coordinator Doan Thi Ngoc Ha said over 8,700 residents in the four communes will directly benefit from this project, which is also set to bring indirect benefits to more than 15,300 others through information sharing workshops and public address systems.

In the next two years, the project is hoped to help 80 percent of the targeted households access early warning information and gain better awareness of disaster response procedures. It is set to improve water quantity and quality for low-income families and increase the number of households using flood-proof toilets and waste management models.

Notably, the project will build and implement disaster risk reduction plans with the participation of schools so as to create a safe learning environment, Ha added.

Chairwoman of the Ca Mau Women’s Union Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong said Ca Mau has been one of the localities hardest hit by climate change in recent years. Relevant agencies estimate that the province has lost over 8,000ha of coastal forest land over the last 10 years, and this figure is still rising.

With a view to promoting the community’s preparedness and response to natural disasters, the project will help the coastal communes gain sustainable access to water sources, improve sanitary conditions, and create a safe learning environment at local schools, she noted.