Australia backs natural disaster recovery in Xayaboury
The Lao government has received grant aid of AU$630,000 from the Australian government for a project in Xayaboury province to improve disaster management response.
The project will also repair eight irrigation systems which will assist 920 families in the province, ensuring they have enough water to irrigate their rice and other cash crops.
Social Welfare Department Director General Mr Prasith Dethphommathet ( right ) and Country Director of Save the Children Mr Shumon Sengupta shake hands at the signing the ceremony.
Director General of the Social Welfare Department, Mr Prasith Dethphommatheth, said the Ministry of Labour and Social welfare and Save the Children will oversee the initiative to rehabilitate infrastructure that was badly damaged by tropical storms Haima and Nock-Ten last year.
The tropical storms affected more than 180,000 people in the provinces of Borikhamxay, Khammuan, Savannakhet, Champassak, Phongsaly, Oudomxay, Luang Prabang, Xieng Khuang, Huaphan and Xayaboury.
Xayaboury province is one of many districts in Laos that experiences frequent flooding and storms, which can lead to disaster situations.
The Haima and Nock-Ten storms killed about 30 people and there was a total damage bill of more than 1,764 billion kip. Roads, crops, irrigation systems and clean water delivery systems, along with schools, health facilities and people's houses and livestock were affected, Mr Prasith said.
Thousands of villagers were left without food after their rice crops and food stores were destroyed, and many were left homeless in the wake of the devastation.
Such disasters cause loss of life and property, destroying houses and making land unsuitable for cultivation. It takes a long time for already poverty stricken villagers to recover after what little they have is wiped out by extremes of Mother Nature.
The Social Welfare Department provides thousands of tonnes of rice to disaster victims around the country every year. In this context, community awareness programmes to put in place risk management preparedness plans are critical to ensuring that damage from extreme weather events can be minimised.
Natural disasters are external shocks that can have major impacts on the social and economic welfare of a population, and provide a serious obstacle to the achievement of sustainable social and economic development.
Following serious flooding in 2008 and Typhoon Ketsana in 2009, the Lao government decided to establish an early warning system and public awareness campaign.
While sweeping through the five southern provinces of Laos, Ketsana affected more than 180,000 people, causing great damage and loss, consequently setting back economic development and jeopardising the already precarious situation of some of the districts hit.
