Disasters and emergency response
Disasters
Myanmar landslide: 'Many missing' at Kachin jade mine
Many people are still missing after a massive landslide at a jade mine in Myanmar’s northern Kachin state. At least 104 bodies have now been recovered, with some estimates saying more than 100 people are still missing. The incident happened in Hpakant on 21 November when a huge ...
Kampot dam tries to restore image
In the wake of mass flooding, the company behind Cambodia’s first major hydropower dam used a government visit last week to distance itself from recent controversies and quell fears about the project’s alleged downsides. In September, Kampot province experienced widespread flooding that left thousands temporarily homeless ...
Storm fells 100 poles in Ayutthaya
A brief and savage storm blew down about 100 power poles in three districts of Ayutthaya province on Friday, damaging vehicles, residences and shops. No fatalities were reported. The freak storm struck Bang Pa-in, Uthai and Wang Noi districts at about 3pm. The areas with the heaviest ...
Cambodian PM calls for drought aid preparations
Prime Minister Hun Sen has called on local authorities and government ministries to be ready to distribute water to farmers around the country due to the ongoing shortage in Cambodia’s reservoirs. “Drought . . . has been threatening our agricultural production, therefore relevant authorities and ministries have to ...
Kampot pepper defying drought fears
The increased cultivation area of Kampot pepper has offset losses due to drought, with farmers of the premium quality peppercorn estimating that production could reach 80 tonnes in the coming harvest, nearly 40 per cent more than last season. “Even though our farms were impacted by ...
Ho Chi Minh City to spend $443 million on embankment, drains to fight flooding
Ho Chi Minh City is seeking the prime minister’s approval to spend VND9.85 trillion, or more than US$443 million, on a massive anti-flooding project that will include a seven-kilometer riverside embankment. Keep reading ...
Indonesia fire haze hit Cambodia last month
Despite the Cambodian government’s uncertainty last month, US satellite imagery has confirmed that haze from Indonesian peat fires that has bedevilled the region did in fact reach Cambodia in October, with haze from local forest fires likely to succeed it as the dry season progresses, ...
Urgent action needed to offset Mekong Delta climate change
The Mekong Delta, one of the most vulnerable deltas in the world in regard to climate change, must begin to take urgent measures to deal with the continuing consequences of changing weather patterns, experts at a seminar held on 27 October in Can Tho urged. The seminar ...
Haze eases across Thailand's southern provinces
The haze from wildfires in Indonesia drifting into Thailand has generally improved in the southern provinces due to recent rain and strong winds. Chatchai Promlert, chief of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, said the level of dust particles measuring less than 10 micrometres, or PM10, had dropped ...
Chin State faces looming food shortage after flood crisis
Three months after the nationwide flood disaster, civil society groups say that government has vastly underestimated the damage toll in Chin State, where locals are facing a looming food shortage. While emergency relief has found its way into many affected Chin State communities, local aid workers ...