PANO - The Australian Agency for International Development on November 25th granted AUS 500,000 in response to an Emergency Appeal by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to address current flood issues in the Mekong Delta region.
PANO - The Australian Agency for International Development on November 25 th granted AUS 500,000 in response to an Emergency Appeal by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to address current flood issues in the Mekong Delta region.
The Emergency Appeal will support the Vietnam Red Cross in assisting 42,000 victims of the worst flood that hit Vietnam’s Mekong Delta in more than a decade. The Appeal, with Australia’s contributions, will assist the Vietnam Red Cross to provide relief and recovery assistance to 10,000 households across An Giang, Dong Thap and Long An provinces and provide safe drinking water, water storage containers and grant cash for boats and fishing nets to people in the flood-hit region and help people prevent disease.
Since the end of September 2011, floods in the region have swept through the seven provinces of An Giang, Dong Thap, Long An, Can Tho, Vinh Long, Hau Giang and Kien Giang, causing significant losses and damage. According to the Vietnam Central Committee for Flood and Storm Control, by mid-November of this year, the floods have destroyed 153,744 houses and over 1,000 schools, causing 85 deaths (of which 72 were children under 16) and destroyed 10,861 hectares of rice fields.
The Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, Mr. Allaster Cox said: “Australia wishes to help people in the Mekong Delta region to quickly overcome difficulties caused by the floods”.
The Ambassador added: “Australia recognises the important work of the Vietnam Red Cross in providing much needed assistance to help victims stabilise their lives and we are pleased to provide additional support during this challenging time.”
Tran Hoai