The cost of damage from flooding and landslides in Laos has so far reached 1.39 trillion kip, government spokesperson Ms Bounpheng Mounphosay said on Friday.
She said the government will need more than 600 billion kip for essential rebuilding including repairing irrigation systems for the upcoming dry season, renovating schools, hospitals and roads, and other priorities.
Thousands of hectares of farmland in Vientiane province are submerged following the release of water from the Nam Ngum I dam.
Ms Bounpheng, who is Minister to the Government Office, was speaking at a press conference in Vientiane to update the media on the outcomes of the government meeting held on September 22-23.
The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong and attended by cabinet members, approved plans to restore the situation in the aftermath of the floods.
Up to 600 billion kip is expected to come from the government’s reserve funds and provincial authorities, while the remainder will be mobilised from the private sector and international organisations.
The government says more than 429,900 people in 1,790 villages in 96 districts of 12 provinces have been affected by the flooding and landslides triggered by tropical storms Haima and Nock-Ten and heavy monsoon rain.
The storms killed 30 people and destroyed 64,472 hectares of farmland, 323 roads and 42 bridges. They also devastated schools, hospitals, tourist sites and electricity and water installations.
Ms Bounpheng said the government appreciated the ongoing assistance from the public to relieve the hardship of the affected families.
The government has so far provided cash and essentials to provincial authorities worth over 984.39 million kip to help flood victims.
During the meeting the government advised the National Disaster Management Committee to closely monitor changes in the weather and issue timely warnings to minimise the impacts of storms in the future.
The government also advised the committee to continue fund-raising activities to relieve the hardship of villagers.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has been advised to work in cooperation with local authorities to assess the impact and formulate plans to restore the situation within their sector.
This includes a plan to repair irrigation systems and buy rice seeds and pesticide for the upcoming dry season and to prepare animal vaccinations.
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport was urged to devise plans to restore roads, bridges, water supply and other infrastructure.
Ms Bounpheng said “Our Prime Minister has emphasised that all sectors need to ensure all donations reach affected villagers. The Prime Minister also urges villagers to help one another to overcome their obstacles.”
The government meeting also adopted directives and plans to settle government debt, to ease financial and currency pressures.
At the same time, a ranking of geographical areas of hardship was approved as part of an incentive policy to encourage officials to work in rural areas in return for higher salaries and benefits, to boost rural development.
The government also approved a quota for new civil servants for 2011-12 and plans to ensure that economic growth hits 8 percent annually and the Millennium Development Goals are reached by 2015
