Disaster preparedness and emergency response policy and administration

Drought and saltwater intrusion in Vietnam’s southern and central regions will persist through April, according to experts. Nguyen Dang Quang, a drought expert at the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, said at a Monday forum in Hanoi that the intense El Nino phenomenon from last year ...

According to state media, the state of emergency that had been placed on Arakan State in June 2012 following communal riots was lifted on Monday. The emergency was originally declared by the government of Burma’s outgoing President Thein Sein due to escalating violence between Arakanese Buddhists ...

The Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Program , both UN agencies, released a statement on 17 March revealing that rural communities in western Myanmar are still enduring increased levels of food insecurity, particularly in areas recovering from natural disasters. Keep reading ...

Thailand’s Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) is urging businesses to cut water consumption to help reduce the adverse effects from the intensifying drought.  JSCCIB chairman Supant Mongkolsuthree said he expected to see a 20-30% drop in water consumption from now through the end ...

A pilot project that offers micro-insurance to help rice farmers cope with the risks of flooding and drought is looking to build on the success of its first season by scaling up beyond three existing provinces. The Cambodia Micro Agriculture Insurance Scheme (CAMAIS), launched in the ...

A blaze authorities have attributed to a forest fire ripped through a nearly 4,000-cubic-metre timber stockpile on a social land concession in Preah Vihear’s Kulen district on the weekend, although the company yesterday said it suspected a case of arson. Si Kiri, Preah Vihear provincial police ...

Brace yourselves: 2016 could be the hottest year on record, bringing high temperatures, drought and perhaps more flooding to Myanmar, weather experts warn. The culprit is the El Niño phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean, reckoned to be the most powerful ever, said meteorologist U Tun Lwin. Its ...

As many as 76 districts in various provinces including Bangkok are facing the risk of water shortages over the next few months, the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry revealed on 25 February. Keep reading ...

A feasibility study on a proposal to build a tunnel diverting water from the Mekong River to the drought-stricken Northeast region will be wrapped up by year-end and will determine whether the multi-billion baht project is economically viable, a senior irrigation official says. Somkiat Prajamwong, director of the Project ...

The spectre of drought is already hanging over a Mandalay township, where villagers are being forced to pay K50,000 per load of water as their wells dry up. Taungtha township, Mandalay Region, has been facing water shortages as nearby lakes and wells go dry, said Ko ...