THE PRIME MINISTER

DECIDES:

Article 1.- To approve the national strategy on natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction till 2020 with the following principal contents:

I. VIEWPOINTS

1. The work of natural disaster prevention and fighting covers the prevention of, coping with, and overcoming the consequences of, natural disasters with a view to minimizing the damage they cause, ensuring sustainable development and contributing to social stability as well as security and defense maintenance.

2. State agencies, economic organizations, social organizations, people's armed force units and all citizens, as well as foreign organizations and individuals living in the Vietnamese territory are obliged to prevent, fight and reduce natural disasters.

3. Natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction shall be carried out under the guiding principles that the State and people join efforts, state resources are efficiently used while all resources of domestic and foreign communities, organizations and individuals are mobilized.

4. The contents of natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction must be incorporated into socio-economic development plannings and plans of each region, each domain and the nation.

5. Natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction shall be carried out with prevention being taken as key, unceasing study of the impacts of global climate changes, sea water rise and other abnormal climatic phenomena in order to prevent and avoid them.

6. Natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction shall be carried out with the promotion and inheritance of traditional experience, the drawing of lessons, the combination thereof with modern knowledge and technologies and enhanced international cooperation.

II. GUIDING PRINCIPLES

1. The Government shall perform the unified state management of natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction nationwide; the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall act as the standing body coordinating with concerned agencies and assisting the Government in performing the state management of this domain.

2. Ensuring the strict observance of the Party's undertakings and the State's policies and laws. Enhancing the state management effect and effectiveness and raising the responsibilities of all organizations and individuals for natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction. Incrementally improving organizational institutions and systems from the central to local levels. Raising the awareness of, and popularizing the experiences in, natural disaster prevention and fighting especially at villages, hamlets and communes.

3. The national strategy on natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction must be implemented in a synchronous manner, in stages and with focus, which is of both urgent and long-term nature. Natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction work must be carried out under the principles of " 4 on-spots" (on-spot command, on-spot forces, on-spot supplies and on-spot logistics) and active prevention, timely coping, prompt and effective remedies. Consequence remedies must be combined with restoration and upgrading, ensuring the sustainable development of each region and each domain.

4. Investment in natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction constitutes an important factor, ensuring sustainable development. The State shall ensure necessary resources; and at the same time mobilizes the contributions of communities and the entire society for investment in natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction. Investment in the construction of natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction works must ensure combination between construction and non-construction solutions, taking advantage of and ensuring the harmony with nature and environmental landscapes.

5. Fulfilling international commitments in the domain of natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction.

III. OBJECTIVES

1. General objectives

To mobilize all resources for efficient natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction from now till 2020 in order to minimize human and material losses, restrict the destruction of natural resources, environment and cultural heritages and greatly contribute to ensuring the country's sustainable development and security and defense maintenance.

2. Some specific objectives

a/ To raise the capability to forecast storms, floods, droughts, salt water infiltration, to report on earthquakes, alarm tsunamis and dangerous climatic and hydrological phenomena. Focally to increase the storm and tropical low pressure forecast time to 72 hours in advance.

b/ To ensure that the development plannings, construction norms of socio-economic infrastructure and population quarters in areas frequented by natural disasters comply with natural disaster prevention and fighting standards of each region; to associate socio-economic development plannings and branch plannings with the natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction strategy, plannings and plans for sustainable development.

c/ To ensure that 100% local officials directly engaged in natural disaster prevention and fighting are trained to raise their capabilities and qualifications in natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction; and over 70% of the population in communes of natural disaster-frequented areas are provided with knowledge on natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction.

d/ To complete the relocation, arrangement and stabilization of the life of people in natural disaster-frequented areas under the plannings approved by competent state bodies. From now to 2010, to relocate people from areas highly prone to flash floods, land slides and dangerous areas to safe places.

e/ To direct close coordination among search and rescue forces in order to actively cope with urgent circumstances; ensure investment in the construction of technical infrastructure, procurement of equipment and development of human resources in service of search and rescue under the general planning on search and rescue till 2015 with a vision towards 2020, which was approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 46/2006/QD-TTg of February 28, 2006.

f/ To ensure safety for the dike systems in provinces from Ha Tinh northward; raise the flood-fighting capacity of dike systems in central coastal areas, the Central Highlands and eastern South Vietnam; to complete the consolidation and upgrading of sea dike systems throughout the country in order to protect people, develop marine economy and maintain security and defense and coastal areas.

g/ To ensure safety for water reservoirs, particularly big ones or those in populated areas or near political, economic or cultural establishments, important defense or security works downstream.

h/ To complete the construction of storm shelters for ships and boats to anchor and moor in accordance with plannings approved by competent state bodies.

i/ To complete the fishery communication systems; 100% offshore fishing ships and boats will be equipped with communication facilities; to sign sea rescue agreements with countries and territories in the region.

IV. TASKS AND SOLUTIONS

1. General tasks and solutions

a/ To perfect the systems of laws and policies

- To study the elaboration of the Law on Natural Disaster Prevention and Fighting on the basis of the Ordinance on Flood and Storm Prevention and Fighting, which is suitable to the country's realities. To promulgate policies on disaster relief to regions where people live together with floods, where floods are diverted or slowed, and regions highly prone to flash floods and landslides,'

- To ensure the natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction requirements in the course of formulating socio-economic development plannings and plans.

To adopt policies to encourage scientific and technological activities, to attract investment, promote international cooperation, mobilize resources' for natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction.

To formulate plannings and plans, to zone off and assess risks of natural disasters in order to work out appropriate policies for key regions, localities and areas, which serve as bases for active prevention; to promulgate norms and technical instructions on construction of works in areas frequently affected by natural disasters; to adjust and supplement regulations and norms on natural disaster forecasts.

b/ Organizational perfection

- To further consolidate the natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction-directing and
-commanding apparatuses at all levels and branches from the center to localities.

- To scrutinize and supplement functions, tasks, operation regulations, coordination mechanisms of the Flood and Storm Prevention and Fighting and Search and Rescue Steering Committees from the central to local levels and in concerned ministries and branches.

- To professionalize the contingent of officials engaged in natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction. To upgrade the working offices and invest equipment and technologies to ensure the working conditions for natural disaster prevention and fighting steering committees at all levels.

- To encourage the establishment of natural disaster control-supporting organizations, training establishments and public-service units engaged in natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction.

c/ Socialization and human resource development

- To adopt policies on socialization of natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction work, creating conditions for people to participate in formulating legal documents, plannings and plans, managing and overseeing the implementation of programs and projects in localities.

- To step up public information to raise community awareness. To build up capabilities for self-defense against natural disasters, to promote the tradition of mutual assistance and support in disaster relief. To organize voluntary self-response forces in communities to participate in search and rescue activities. To promote the role of social organizations in preparatory activities to cope with and overcome consequences. To develop the contingent of volunteers in propagation and mobilization work, in overcoming of consequences and restoration of production'. To encourage domestic and foreign organizations and individuals to provide diverse and effective supports for people and localities hit by natural disasters.

- To intensify the training of human resources meeting the natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction requirements, particularly human resources for organizational and managerial, advisory apparatuses and administration of natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction.

d/ Financial sources

- The state budget shall ensure investment in natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction projects and reserves for handling and overcoming disaster consequences. When necessary, national reserves may be used for natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction. To make full use of ODA sources for natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction projects, prioritizing non-refundable ODA capital sources for capacity building, scientific and technological transfers and managerial experiences.

- The State shall give autonomy to provincial- and district-level People's Committees in investing in, and mobilizing lawful capital sources for, natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction.

- To gradually increase the annual budget capital for enhancing the capacity to manage and execute projects on work construction, upgrading or renovation, planning projects, projects on increase of equipment for forecast, alarm, search and rescue, consequence overcoming and production restoration.

- The State shall adopt policies of prioritizing and protecting the lawful interests of organizations and individuals investing in natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction; encourage domestic and foreign organizations and individuals to invest in scientific research and application of advance technologies in combination with traditional measures.

- Domestic and foreign organizations and individuals are encouraged to finance natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction activities, to conduct humanitarian and charitable activities for regions hit by natural disasters. To study the establishment of self-financing funds and natural disaster insurance funds.

e/ To raise community awareness

- To further apply public information and educational measures to raise the community awareness of natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction. To incorporate basic knowledge about natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction in school curricula with a view to providing students with know-hows on coping with natural disasters and, at the same time, rendering supports for families and communities.

- To develop programs on training of cadres directly involved in natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction, attaching importance to managerial and planning cadres, full-time cadres and local officials.

f/ To develop natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction science and technologies

- To intensify baseline surveys, invest in scientific research and application of new technologies in the field of natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction.

- To modernize the early-warning systems from the central government to regions, zones and localities. To attach importance to effective forms of information and communication, especially in mountain, sea, deep-lying and remote regions.

- The State shall encourage the application of scientific and technological advances to raising the forecasting and early-warning capacity, information and communication capacity; raising the capacity to study and monitor changes of the earth, natural evolutions in regions and territories; encourage the application of new technologies, new materials in the field of natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction.

- To incrementally develop sciences on natural disasters: state of emergency, natural disaster control, sustainable development, disaster medicine, post-disaster production and environment restoration.

g/ To consolidate systems of dikes, reservoirs and dams

- To build, consolidate or upgrade systems of river dikes, sea dikes with appropriate design capacities and multi-use purposes in service of socio-economic development.

To attach importance to raising the quality of dike bodies against degrading, to gradually abolish weak positions on dike foundations and under-dike culverts; to perfect dike cross-sections according to designs, to solidify dike surfaces for combined use in rural traffic.

To increase investment in the planting of dike protection trees; the tending and protection of protection trees constitute a regular dike protection task.

- To scrutinize plannings on construction investment to raise the flood drainage capacity for flood-diverting or -slowing works, which have been approved by competent state bodies.

- To regularly inspect and assess the current conditions of water reservoirs, to repair, upgrade and supplement incidental spillway facilities to ensure safety for dams; to perfect the operation process for multi-use purposes of works, particularly big reservoirs, in regulating and reducing floods for downstream areas and supplying water in the dry season.

h/ To raise the rescue and salvage capacity

To raise the rescue and salvage capacity for full-time and part-time forces and local forces; to regularly organize natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction drills and exercises for branches and localities. To attach importance to ensuring non-interrupted communication and information; to raise the on-spot rescue capacity for organizations, individuals and communities, especially highland, deep-lying, remote, border, island regions and vessels operating on rivers and sea.

i/ To intensify international cooperation and integration

To intensify cooperation with countries in the region and the world on disaster warning and forecast, education, training, technological transfer, information, experience and practical lesson sharing, then proceed to formulating agreements or accords on cooperation on natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction, especially on rescue and salvage; cooperation with international organizations on the implementation of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol, the Hyogo Program of Action and other programs; cooperation with regional countries on management of water resource exploitation and protection.

2. Natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction tasks and solutions for regions

a/ The northern and north-central delta regions

The northern and north-central delta regions shall resolutely prevent and fight floods; and at the same time actively prevent and fight storms, droughts, sea water swell', focussing on the following tasks and solutions:

- Enhancing the anti-flood capacity of river dike systems, synchronously performing the tasks of formulating plannings on flood prevention and fighting for river systems, scrutinizing and adjusting plannings on dike systems, which serve as bases for the construction, maintenance, management and protection of dikes, renovation and upgrading under-dike works, handling sections where dike foundations are weak, solidifying dike surface for combined use in rural traffic.

- Further building water reservoirs, formulate the process for operating big reservoirs in regulating and reducing floods, regulating water flows in the dry season to combat droughts and salt water infiltration; to plant forests and protect headwater forests.

- Raising the flood-draining capacity of river beds by removing obstacles in river dunes, river beds; dredging conducting beds and completing flood-diverting schemes.

- For coastal provinces, to implement the programs on restoration and upgrading of sea dikes, to plant breakwater trees and protection forests along coasts. To grow grass to prevent erosion and slide of dike bodies, to build anti-erosion and -slide works.

b/ The central coast, eastern-south and island regions

Natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction activities in the central and eastern-south delta regions shall follow the guiding principle of "active prevention, avoidance and adaptation for development," focussing on the following tasks and solutions:

- Planning population quarter, industrial parks and tourist resorts; planning and building natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction works, traffic infrastructures to combat flooding and drain floods.

- Restructuring crops and husbandry to suit the regions' particular conditions and make full use of favorable natural land and sea conditions for development; combating sand dune infiltration into delta areas, and desertization.

- Carrying out programs on consolidation and upgrading of sea dikes, making full use of and preserving natural sand stretches to prevent tsunamis and sea water rise; building reservoirs, stepping up afforestation and applying measures to increase water flows in the dry season and underground water, increasing irrigation works for drought and flood fighting; building anti-river bank and sea-coast slide works, dredge channels; building storm shelters for ships and boats to anchor and moor, upgrading and developing coastal information stations in service of storm, sea water rise and tsunami warning.

- Intensifying the study on solutions against alluvium deposit at river mouths, dredging conducting channels to increase the flood drainage capacity in combination with waterway traffic.

c/ The Mekong river delta region

Natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction activities for the Mekong river delta shall follow the guiding principle of "living together with floods," ensuring safety for sustainable development; and at the same time actively preventing storms, whirlwinds, cyclones, salt water infiltration and droughts, focussing on the following tasks and solutions:

- Formulating flood control planning, actively preventing floods and rationally using land and forest resources as well as favorable natural conditions in the region.

- The specific solutions to flood control and salt water prevention include the construction of population clusters and infrastructures higher than the flood level, raising of flood drainage capacity of canal systems, construction of sea dikes, river mouth dikes, enclosing dikes or banks, regulating lakes, anti-salt water infiltration works.

- Actively taking advantage of floods, studying the investment in exploiting surface water resources, making full use of alluvium to wash away salt water, developing aquaculture and fishing, waterway traffic, ecological tourism and particular cultural and sport activities of flood-frequented areas.

- Stepping up international cooperation with countries in the Mekong river basin on rational exploitation and protection of water resources. Further coordinating with upstream countries in studying solutions to flood prevention and fighting, maintenance of water flow in the dry season, preservation of fresh water and solutions to seawater rise.

d/ The mountain and Central Highland region

Natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction activities for the mountain and Central Highland region comply with the guiding principle of "active prevention and fighting," focussing on the following tasks and solutions:

- Drawing maps of areas highly prone to flash floods, land slides, geological incidents; drawing up plannings on population, actively relocating people from dangerous areas, land use plannings, restructuring crops and managing the minerals exploitation, avoiding adverse impacts on environment and higher danger of land slides; planting and rationally exploiting forests.

- Installing early-warning and communications systems to hamlets and villages; building works to prevent and combat land slides and flash floods; widening clearance spans of bridges and culverts on roads to ensure flood drainage, building systems of reservoirs to combat floods and droughts.

- Intensifying international cooperation on natural disaster warning and forecasts, on search, rescue and salvage with bordering countries.

e/ On sea

Natural disaster prevention and fighting on sea shall follow the principle of "active prevention and fighting", ensuring safety for humans and vessels, tapping resources for development of marine economy, focussing on the following solutions:

- Building systems for management of vessels operating on sea, particularly fishing vessels and fishermen on sea before and during the natural disasters.

- Building information and communication systems transmitting natural disaster warnings and forecasts to vessels and works on sea. Building up professional sea search, rescue and salvage forces, raising the salvage and rescue capacity for part-time forces of fishermen on ships and boats.

- Intensifying cooperation with regional countries and territories on warnings, forecasts, information and communication, search and rescue, creating conditions for vessels to shelter against storms, rationally and safely tapping marine resources.

V. ACTION PLAN

To focus on directing the implementation of the target programs from now till 2020 as follows:

1. For non-construction solutions

a/ The program on perfecting the system of legal documents:

- Formulating the Law on Natural Disaster Prevention, Fighting and Reduction.

- Reviewing, amending and supplementing relevant legal documents.

- Promulgating policies on relief provision, on bull-speculation fighting, production and environment restoration after natural disasters.

- Promulgating policies on supports for areas frequently hit by natural disasters.

- Setting up a self-financing fund for natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction.

- Insuring natural disaster risks in a number of domains.

b/ The program on consolidation of organizational apparatuses

- Annually consolidating the natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction- directing and
-commanding apparatuses at all levels.

- Organizing training to raise the capability of officials performing the natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction tasks.

- Setting up organizations in support of natural disaster control.

c/ The program on planning formulation and scrutiny

- Making maps on zoned-off areas prone to flash floods, river bank and coastal land slides, storms, seawater rise, earthquakes, tsunamis, water logging, assessing flood and drought risks.

- Reviewing and supplementing plannings on flood prevention and fighting for the Red River, Thai Binh river, Mekong river deltas, rivers in the central region from Thanh Hoa to Khanh Hoa, southern Central Vietnam and eastern South Vietnam.

- Reviewing and supplementing plannings on river dike and sea dike systems.

- Reviewing and supplementing plannings on population in areas prone to flash floods and land slides for mountainous localities, areas prone to river bank, river mouth or coastal land slides.

- Reviewing and supplementing plannings on land use in association with natural disaster prevention and fighting.

- Reviewing and supplementing plannings on protection and development of sea dike and coast protection forests.

- Reviewing and supplementing plannings on construction in areas frequently hit by natural disasters.

- Reviewing and supplementing plannings on management and general exploitation of river basins.

d/ The program on raising the forecasting and warning capacity

- Raising the capacity to forecast and warn floods for the Red River delta, the Mekong river delta, rivers in Central Vietnam, the Central Highlands and eastern South Vietnam.

- Raising the capacity to forecast, warn storms, floods, droughts, saltwater infiltration, earthquakes and tsunamis.

- Raising the capacity to forecast and warn flash floods for mountainous provinces.

e/ The program on raising community awareness

- Incorporating knowledge on natural disasters into general education curricula.

- Organizing training and fostering to popularize natural disaster prevention and fighting knowledge and experience to communities in areas frequently hit by natural disasters.

- Publishing information on types of natural disasters and preventive measures on the mass media

f/ The program on afforestation and headwater forest protection

- Establishing, managing, protecting and sustainably using 16.24 million hectares of land planned for forestry; raising the forest coverage to 42-43% by 2010 and 47% by 2020.

- Attaching importance to development and exploitation of (non-timber) forest products of high economic value in protection forests so that people can benefit from the protection of these forests.

- Planting breakwater trees for dike systems.

g/ The program on raising the capability to control natural disasters and apply science and technology

- Raising the capabilities for natural disaster control agencies from the central to local level and the search and rescue forces.

- Reviewing and supplementing work construction standards conformable with natural-disaster particularities in each region.

- Applying scientific, technological and technical advances and using new materials for natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction.

- Perfecting the information and communication systems and organizing the management of ships and boats operating on sea.

- Formulating programs on safety for children, weak elders and disabled persons in areas frequented by natural disasters.

- Organizing forces of volunteers to participate in natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction.

2. For construction solutions

- The program on scrutiny, upgrading and construction of natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction works suitable to designing standards and natural disaster characters of each region, each locality.

- The program on construction of water reservoirs, formulation of reservoir-operating process to efficiently tap water sources and reduce floods.

- The program on widening of clearance spans of bridges and culverts on road and railway systems to ensure flood drainage.

- The program on construction of landslide prevention and fighting works.

- The program on upgrading of dike systems, renovation and upgrading of under-dike culverts, solidification of dike surface to grade 3 or higher.

- The program on construction of storm shelters for ships and boats to anchor and moor.

- The program on construction of population clusters against floods and storms.

The lists of programs, schemes, projects, implementing units, coordinating units, implementation duration are defined in Appendix I to this Decision (not printed herein).

VI. ASSESSMENT OF STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION

The assessment of strategy implementation covers the following contents:

- Systems of legal documents, mechanisms and policies related to natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction.

- Natural disaster-forecasting and -warning capacity.

- Natural disaster prevention and fighting organizational structures at all levels (four levels).

- Search and rescue capacity of full-time and part-time forces.

- Incorporation of natural disaster prevention and fighting contents into socio-economic development master plans and specific projects of ministries, branches and localities.

- Education and propagation to raise community awareness of natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction.

- Community participation in the formulation of legal documents, plannings and plans as well as the management and supervision of implementation of programs and projects in localities.

- Natural disaster self-preventing and -coping capability.

- Efficacy of natural disaster prevention and fighting works.

- Sustainable development of each region, each locality in face of impacts of natural disasters.

- Efficiency of investment in natural disaster prevention and fighting.

- Scientific and technological application to natural disaster prevention and fighting.

- International cooperation activities in the domain of natural disaster prevention and fighting.

Article 2.- Organization of implementation

1. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Central Storm and Flood Prevention and Fighting Steering Committee shall act as agencies responsible for organizing the implementation of the national strategy on natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction till 2020:

- Guiding, inspecting and urging the implementation of the strategy by ministries, branches and localities; acting as national bodies to contact international organizations in this domain.

- Based on the lists of schemes and projects specified in Appendix I to this Decision (not printed herein), formulating specific action programs and plans, clearly identifying priority contents and defining tasks for ministries, branches and localities.

- Organizing the inspection, examination and assessment of the implementation of the strategy by ministries, branches and localities; making annual and five-year reviews and assessment of the implementation and proposing to the Prime Minister adjusted contents and solutions in the strategy.

2. Ministries, branches and localities shall, according to their assigned functions and tasks, effectively materialize the strategy's contents, objectives, tasks and solutions related to their respective ministries, branches or localities.

3. The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Central Storm and Flood Prevention and Fighting Steering Committee, the National Search, Rescue and Salvage Committee and concerned ministries and branches in, balancing and allocating annual investment capital under the State Budget Law and other aid capital sources for efficient realization of the strategy.

4. People's Committees, storm and flood prevention and fighting committees, and search, rescue and salvation committees of provinces or centrally run cities shall direct authorities and branches in their respective localities in realizing the strategy's contents, attaching importance to the fulfillment of plans on renovation and construction of local natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction works, organizing natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction forces and working out plans to protect people; at the same time, incorporate natural disaster prevention, fighting and reduction contents into local socio-economic development plans; annually report on implementation results to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Central Storm and Flood Prevention and Fighting Steering Committee.

Article 3.- This Decision takes effect 15 days after its publication in "CONG BAO."

Article 4.- Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies, and presidents of provincial/municipal People's Committees shall implement this Decision.