Details of Disaster Information


Viet Nam : Drought : 1998/08
GLIDE: DR-1998-000160-VNM  DRR & Disaster Information

Duration 1998/08
Country
   or
District		 Viet Nam
Name Drought
Outline According to MARD, there have been two periods of drought since late 1997 to date: The first period, from late 1997 to May 1998 and the second, from June to the present.

Headline(Source, Date)
Personal Injury Material Damage Others
OCHA Situation Report No.1 (14 August 1998)
●In the first period(from late 1997 to May 1998)
more than 600,000 households or three million people were affected. 274,000 households suffered from food shortage

●In the second period(June 1998 to the present)
230,000 people did not have access to safe water		 ●In the first period(from late 1997 to May 1998)
Some 380,000 tonnes of paddy equivalent were destroyed
11,400 ha were destroyed by forest fires due to the drought
19,360 ha of water areas used for aquatic production dried up. 274,000 households suffered from food shortage.
Total economic losses were estimated at VND 5,290 billion (USD 407 million),

●In the second period(June 1998 to the present)
As of 10 August 1998, 66,000 ha of winter-spring rice were affected, of which 50,000 ha were totally destroyed		 ●In the first period(from late 1997 to May 1998) . Local authorities and people have spent about VND 515 billion (USD 40 million) for water supply, water pumping, temporary dams, channel dredging and well drilling, to combat the drought.
International Federation and the Vietnamese Red Cross 98/09/11

The latest government figures state that 82,273 hectares of the summer-autumn rice paddy and 94,812 hectares of winter rice paddy have been severely affected by the drought By responding at this stage with support that will help 'bridge the gap' between food shortages and the next harvest, the Vietnamese Red Cross is reducing the likelihood of this becoming an even greater disaster.

Related Links
Report/Articles
Geographycal Data Information
Emergency Relief Information
  • OCHA Situation Report No. 1
    International assistance in the following areas would be welcome: Supply of safe water, food for the affected people (food is available within Viet Nam, but the affected people cannot afford buying it), medicine, and improvement of irrigation schemes.
    OCHA has decided to release an OCHA Emergency Cash Grant of USD 30,000
    USAID has established an administrative reservation of USD 25,000 to be used to meet the immediate relief needs of the victims of severe drought in Central Vietnam.
    OCHA is prepared to serve as channel for cash contributions for immediate relief assistance. Funds channelled through OCHA will be spent in coordination with the relevant organizations of the UN system and OCHA will provide written confirmation of their use. Funds should be transferred to OCHA account No. CO-590.160.1 at Swiss Bank Corporation, P.O. Box 2770, CH-1211 Geneva 2, with reference: OCHA - Viet Nam - Drought.