Disasters and emergency response
Non-governmental preparedness and response agencies
Overview of 2016 natural disasters
More than 130 people died and nearly 300 were injured in accidents caused by natural disasters across the country this year, according to a government official. Keo Vy, the cabinet chief and a spokesman for the National Committee for Disaster Management, told Khmer Times yesterday ...
Floods hit central provinces
Torrential rainfall measuring 100-200mm in Quảng Ngãi and Bình Định provinces has flooded nearly 1,000 houses and over 3,000ha of sowed rice and raised river levels. A report on December 1 by the Centre of Flood and Storm Prevention in the Central and Central Highlands regions said ...
Donors asked to come forward to help foot cost of post-quake repairs
Donors willing to fund the repair of more than 200 pagodas in Bagan damaged by last August’s earthquake are still being identified, officials say. U Aung Kaw, director of the Department of Archaeology, National Museum and Library in Bagan, called on donors who have funded ...
US Group to boost ASEAN disaster relief capabilities

On November 17, a U.S.based nonprofit inked an agreement with ASEAN to help boost its disaster relief capabilities.As one of the world’s most disaster prone subregions, Southeast Asia has been working on setting up new institutions to strengthen regional capabilities to respond to natural disasters. ...
Government and civil society groups meet for flood aid

Ensuring better coordination was the objective of an August 11 meeting between government officials and civil society groups in Magwe Region. The goal was to strengthen the network of civil society groups to ensure the proper distribution of aid supplies for flood victims while avoiding ...
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 ...
Heavy downpours continue to batter Arakan State

Heavy rain and severe flooding continue to devastate parts of Arakan State, a spokesperson for the Arakan State Government, told The Irrawaddy on 13 June. Arakan State’s Ministry of Social Welfare and Ministry of Electric Power, Industry, and Roads and Communications reportedly intend to visit flood-affected ...
Disaster-prone year uses fraction of possible emergency fund
In a year of disastrous floods, the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation accounted for more than 62 percent of total emergency expenditure, parliament heard on 21 January. Yet barely over one-tenth of the K100 billion emergency fund under the president’s control was utilised. The President’s Office ...
Flood aid brings relief, but also anger and distrust

Donor aid to villages afflicted by the July-August flooding is just a lucky dip, say angry residents. They blame “sloppy” out-of-town NGOs and ill-equipped local authorities for directing money – sometimes more than once – to some villages while completely neglecting others. Donors themselves say villagers ...
Experts call for dam review to consider earthquake risks
If there is one place most ill-equipped for a mega hydropower dam holding back cascades of water, it might very well be along a fault line. Yet China’s Myitsone project is slated for such a quake-prone site not far from the Sagaing Fault. In addition to ...