The Research Institute for Fruits and Vegetables under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has developed CV5 cucumber variety with a productivity of 60 tonnes of cucumbers per hectare each crop. After floods devasted agricultural areas, the variety will be widely grown to ensure an adequate supply of vegetables next season.

VietNamNet Bridge - Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung called out to ministries, sectors and localities to focus on recovering production during an online conference Friday to discuss recovery from the recent heavy rains and floods.

Hung noted that relevant authorities must look at ensuring adequate living conditions, carry out measures to clean the environment which will prevent epidemics, and also ensure accommodation for residents in waterlogged areas.

The conference was held by the National Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control, with the participation of 18 provinces of the Hong (Red) River Delta and the northern area of central Viet Nam.

He said that recent heavy rains and flood had caused problems for irrigation and water drainage systems. Since the forests were not able to absorb all the water, schools and healthcare centres had rapidly become waterlogged, and dykes were seriously damaged.

He noted that draining water in Ha Noi City only via the Yen So Pump Station was not safe.

Hung said that localities should implement measures to recover winter crops, prepare the population for the upcoming winter and ensure that livestock were adequately fed.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), as of November 12, 94 people had died in these provinces. The floods also destroyed 210,000ha of vegetables, 30,000ha or rice, 10,000ha of orchards, 40,000ha of fish ponds, and nearly 200,000 livestock animals. Transportation, power stations, healthcare centres and schools were also seriously damaged.

He noted that the damage was not over, as tens of thousands of households were stilling living with flood water. Total damage was estimated at around VND7.3 trillion (US$434 million).

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat said there were only 15 days left to plant winter crops, so he asked provinces to focus on helping people recover production.

To date, many residential areas are still waterlogged. Vice chairman of Ha Noi People’s Committee, Trinh Duy Hung, said the city had 18,000ha waterlogged, including 26 residential areas with 8,700 households. Ha Noi will likely have to spend VND800 billion ($47.6 million) to overcome the aftermath of the flood.

Hung said the city had given out 10 tonnes of vegetable seeds. The city will continue to spend VND5 billion ($297,619) to buy vegetable seeds to give to farmers, and continue to recover irrigation systems.

MARD has asked the Prime Minister to set aside some 45 tonnes of vegetable seeds and 275 tonnes of rice from national reserves, and give farmers VND1 million for each ha to recover winter crops.

This assistance would only meet a small part of actual demand. Vice chairman of the central province of Thanh Hoa, Trinh Van Chien said that as the province suffered from a severe cold spell earlier this year, and swine epidemics in June, its provincial reserve fund was exhausted, and it was struggling to overcome the aftermath of the floods.

Many other provinces are facing a similar situation.

Representatives of many provinces said it was necessary to re-plan the water drainage systems of the Hong (Red) River Delta. Ha Noi authorities asked ministries and sectors to develop a plan to fight floods. It also asked to get the Yen Nghia Water Pump Station in Ha Dong City up and running as soon as possible, and also upgrade the Yen So pump station, and some other water pump stations to drain water to the Hong (Red) River, while also upgrading some damaged dykes around Ha Noi.

Vice chairman of Ha Nam Province Le Van Tan said it was necessary to re-plan irrigation systems in basins of Day, Hong and Nhue rivers.

According to MARD, for the 2009-10 stage, projects to deal with droughts and floods in the Delta still lack investment. After 2010, MARD will be short of more than VND3 trillion ($178 million).

Outbreaks and repairs

Meantime, authorities and residents of Ha Noi are still struggling with water-borne diseases two weeks after severe flooding hit the city.

The past 10 days have seen outbreaks of diarrhoea and dengue-fever, and hospitals are reporting higher than usual numbers of people experiencing stomach and eye problems, brought about by water-borne disease, said Le Anh Tuan, director of the city’s Health Department. He added that further outbreaks are likely.

In Dong Da Hospital alone more than 400 patients have been treated for water-borne diseases.

Flood waters, combined with humid weather, create a breeding ground for mosquitoes, fungi and bacteria, which later spread disease amongst the community, said Nguyen Huy Nga, the director of the department.

To control disease, provincial health departments are spraying disinfectant and insecticide in affected areas, and have asked residents who feel unwell to seek hospital treatment immediately.

Epidemiologists have also recommended people use mosquito-nets while sleeping and keep their homes as dry and clean as possible to prevent further outbreak.

Ha Noi authorities have established inspection groups to find problem areas and raise public awareness of disease prevention.

According to the health ministry’s Preventative Medicine Department, since the beginning of November, there have been more than 800 cases of dengue-fever in Ha Tinh and Thua Thien-Hue provinces, and HCM City, also affected by flooding.

The historic flood damaged more than 100,000sq.m of streets and pavements, mainly in the districts of Hai Ba Trung, Dong Da, Hoan Kiem and Ba Dinh, according to the Ha Noi Transport Department.

To ensure public safety, the city’s construction department has started to fill pot-holes and place warning signs in the most dangerous areas, and carry out inspections of roads in the city.

(Source: VNS)