Disasters and emergency response
Four Years Later, Arakan’s State of Emergency Lifted
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 ...
Vietnam pushes for regional center to share Mekong River resources
Vietnam is willing to cooperate with China and other riparian countries to establish a cooperation center for sustainable use of the Mekong River’s water resources, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh said, the Greater Mekong Subregion is facing major security and development challenges, especially pollution, ...
Laos releases dam water to ease drought in Vietnam's Mekong Delta
Laos has started releasing around 1,136 cubic meters of water per second from its dams to the Mekong River to help Vietnam’s southern region cope with severe drought and saltwater intrusion, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The country planned to keep doing so ...
Forest wildfires ring Mae Hong Son township
Forest fires were still burning high on mountains ringing Thailand’s provincial capital Mae Hong Son on 22 March, with firefighters struggling to reach hot spots in very difficult terrain. Keep reading ...
Kampong Thom communities facing water shortages
About 5,000 families in Kampong Thom’s Stoung district are facing water shortages as the hot El Niño climate pattern bakes Cambodia for the second consecutive year. While there is enough drinking water for the time being, some residents have to drive a considerable distance to ...
Forest fire detonates UXOs at Preah Vihear
A forest fire near the Preah Vihear temple complex in Cambodia caused decades-old landmines and other unexploded ordnance to explode on 20 March, according to regional military commander Duong Sam Neang. Keep reading ...
UN agencies report continued food insecurity in post-disaster areas
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 ...
Water shortage grips half of Thailand - officials
More than half of Thailand is gripped by water shortages from the drought, according to the Department of Water Resources, but the irrigation chief remains positive that supplies can last until the rainy season if everyone steps up conservation efforts. Keep reading ...
Facing Mekong drought, China to release water from Yunnan dam
China has promised to discharge water from a dam along the Lancang River (better known as the Mekong) to help alleviate drought conditions in Southeast Asia. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang announced on 15 March in a regular press conference that China will release water from ...
Ho Chi Minh City may spend $62 million on mobile pumps to fight flooding
In its latest effort to fight worsening flooding, Ho Chi Minh City has come up with a plan to invest VND 1.4-trillion (US$61.9 million) in a response team with mobile pumps. Keep reading ...
