Disasters and emergency response
Vietnam wakes up to disaster possibilities after China discharges water in river
The National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting has reported unusual flooding in the Red River in northern Vietnam since 11 October following heavy inflows from China, where massive volumes of water have allegedly been discharged from dams. Though there has been no human casualty, the flooding has ...
At least 16 killed in Myanmar landslide
Downpours in Myanmar’s Kayah State have triggered a deadly landslide, killing at least 16 people and forcing residents to evacuate Hpasawng township. More are feared to have died in the incident. Ten men and seven women were killed in the landslide, which occurred on the afternoon ...
More houses evacuated after landslide in Borikhamxay
Houses along the Mekong River in Borikhamxay province have been evacuated after five of them were undermined by a landslide at about 2am on 11 October. People in six or seven houses in the Phonson area of Phabath village in Thaphabath district quickly gathered their pets ...
Myanmar homes destroyed as heavy rain brings more flooding
Flooding caused by torrential rains in Magwe Region swept away several houses and a timber causeway on the night of 11 October. In Minhla, Pwinbyu, Ngape and Natmauk townships, flood waters cascading down from the mountains carried off five houses. “Three houses were swept away this ...
Flooding in Vietnam as China discharges water down Red River
Hydrologists have warned about imminent flooding in the Red River in northern Vietnam due to huge discharge of water from upstream reservoirs in China. Water levels in the river rose to 31.7 m in Yen Bai Province on 12 October before receding, according to the National Center ...
US and Laos host Mekong disaster response initiative
The government of Laos, in partnership with the United States, recently hosted the Lower Mekong Initiative Disaster Relief Exercise and Exchange in Vientiane. The exercise and exchange is an annual initiative between the governments of Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and the United States. Each year ...
Severe drought hits 17 villages in Sukhothai
Severe drought and water shortages have hit Sukhothai’s Ban Dan Lan Hoi district for the second year this year, affecting residents, livestock and farmland in 17 villages. Keep reading ...
Thai Government offers to help Jakarta fight haze hazard
The government is ready to help Indonesia tackle the haze pollution problem which has spread over large parts of the region after its envoy admitted the country’s efforts are not enough to stop the fires, Foreign Ministry deputy permanent secretary Vitavas Srivihok said. Keep reading ...
Flooding in Prachin Buri
After two days of rain the Prachin Buri river overflowed and flooded the old market of Kabin Buri Municipality in Kabin Buri district early on 6 October, reports said. Keep reading ...
Dengue’s link to El Niño
As Cambodia contends with one of the strongest El Niño cycles in recent memory, a new study of millions of dengue cases over the past two-decades-plus has shown that spikes in the deadly disease across Southeast Asia may be linked to the weather phenomenon. Upswings in ...