Disasters and emergency response
Disasters
Flood of doubts: sceptical public questions Three Gorges Dam’s capacity to stop disasters
Project was touted as a tool to prevent floods but those claims have been watered down and new threats are eroding confidence – and riverbanks. The floods have wreaked havoc in the east, leaving 237 people dead and another 93 missing. That is on top of ...
China sets aside $30 million for weather modification program
China has allocated $29.76 million to spend on its weather modification program as part of efforts to combat drought and reduce the impact of natural disasters, the finance ministry said on 14 July, as state media reported flooding this year caused at least 237 deaths. The ...
Lake waters, hope at low ebb in Battambang
For generations, Sokha’s family has lived in Bak Preah village on the Sangkae River – which passes through Battambang province and connects to the Tonle Sap lake about 70 kilometres away – depending almost solely on catching fish for their food and income. But with the ...
More Cambodians struggling to repay MFI loans
Banking industry insiders expressed concern on 11 July over a spike in the amount of delinquent debts reported by microfinance institutions across the Kingdom, which they attributed to farmers struggling to repay their loans after adverse weather conditions affected their crops. “Loans in the agricultural sector account ...
Thousands displaced by northern Rakhine floods
Nearly 4000 people in northern Rakhine State have been displaced by flooding across five townships, with more heavy rain expected over the coming days, according to the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology. According to the education department of Rakhine State, over 400 schools have been closed ...
Mass cattle deaths scar country’s northeast
There was little rain to settle the red dust in Krolah. The wells dried up. The cattle died. The people fell sick. The village, 30 km over steep hills from the provincial capital of Banlung—already hit by rampant deforestation—bore the brunt of the harshest drought in ...
Urgent plans needed to adapt to climate change, rising sea levels
The historic drought this year affected 45,000 hectares of rice and crops, causing a loss of VND8.114 trillion in total. The drought and saline intrusion caused 2 million people to lack water for daily use, 1.75 million people to lose their livelihood, and put hundreds ...
Sagaing authorities start gold mine clampdown
Sagaing Region authorities in Myanmar are launching a crackdown on small-scale gold mines that, they say, contribute to environmental degradation. But concern is growing that larger companies, which are licensed at the level of the Union government, may be allowed to continue operating. Sagaing Region was ...
Sukhumbhand blamed as Bangkok reels under floods
Rains have plunged the Bangkok governor in fresh political difficulties as heavy downpour over the past few days inundated many areas in the capital and its suburbs once again raising doubts about his flood management. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will invest more than Bt51 billion on ...
Rice production expected to not meet targets
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Laos has estimated farmers around the country to produce 4.2 million tonnes of rice this year; 600,000 tonnes of which is expected to be dry season rice, 3.4 million tonnes of wet season rice, and another 200,000 tonnes ...