Mekong River Commission

8. Responses to flood events - Country Reportsy

8.2 Responses to flood events in Lao PDR

Disaster management in general and flood management in particular is a multi-sectoral concern. In order to provide an adequate response to disaster issues in Lao PDR, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NDMO) was formed. The Chairman is the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare and several Ministries are represented in order to cover all relevant sectors.

At provincial and district levels, similar structures (Committees) have also been set up. The Committee members coordinate work in the affected areas in order to assess damage and primary needs. Each institution works according to their field of responsibility and expertise. The efficiency of this coordination varies from one province to another.

Early warning is the responsibility of the Department of Meteorology and the Department of Agriculture. However, due to the lack of necessary human resources, lack of technical training, limitation in communication equipment (radios, mobile phones) the procedures for disseminating the information are still far from being fully operational. Villagers get some information from the district but local methods of flood forecasting, based on observing weather and fruit trees, are still widely used. Thai television is also a reference for obtaining meteorological forecasts. Up to now, no flood marks have been installed in the villages. Poor early warning conditions mean that people may be caught in the fast rising water. Preparedness instructions are given by the districts two or three weeks before flooding. The population located in risky areas is mobilised to collect rain water for drinking and clean drains and irrigation systems to ensure they don't overflow easily. Dispensaries and schools flooded in the past are checked. Farmers are invited to store spare seeds for replanting if necessary.

During the flood, the affected villages inform the Districts' Search & Rescue Team when they need to evacuate people to safe locations. Representatives from social welfare, public security, defence and health authorities as well as the Lao Red Cross are present in the affected areas to help victims. They make a quick assessment of needs and provide emergency help. Lao Red Cross staff then proceed with distribution of relief packets, consisting of food, clothes, blankets, etc. Social Welfare organises shelters where necessary. Health staff are responsible for taking care of sick or injured persons and preventing disease outbreaks. They run vaccination programmes and urge people who have red eyes, diarrhoea or symptoms of malaria to seek medical advice immediately. The Department of Agriculture distributes rice seeds for replanting.

The expenditures for Emergency Relief are paid by the government budget, grants from donor countries and NGOs such as the Lao Red Cross.

Training has been provided within the framework of the Disaster Preparedness Programme implemented by Concern Worldwide, through the NCDM and financed by ECHO, European Union. Seven districts in Savannakhet and Khammouan Provinces received training for disaster preparedness disaster (not only flood oriented) from 2001 to 2003.

Flood damage reporting is supposed to involve all departments. However, coordination in gathering data varies from one province to another. So far, there is no standard for monitoring indicators, or procedures for assessing the damage, level of details, etc.

In Lao PDR, infrastructure for controlling or mitigating the effects of the flood are very limited. Embankment protection along the Mekong or along the major tributaries is strictly limited to some sections in the major cities. Rural roads are rarely built on embankments in the risky flood areas. Some NGOs have helped villagers build protection (small embankments for protecting villages, small dams in depression areas). These infrastructure are often built using limited engineering knowledge and at the lowest cost. During heavy floods, they may be washed out easily. In some places, irrigation and drainage canals are also used to improve the drainage of flooded areas.