Nearly 200 people of Bat Bat commune practice handling incidents on the right dike of Da Nang.

On the morning of August 26, nearly 200 officers, soldiers, and residents of Bat Bat commune practiced handling natural disaster situations on the right dike of Da...

The program is part of the Project "Raising community awareness and community-based disaster risk management" organized by the Hanoi Department of Irrigation and Disaster Prevention and Control in coordination with Bat Bat commune.

Deputy Chief of Office of the Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and Search and Rescue of Hanoi City, Deputy Head of the Department of Irrigation and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control (Department of Agriculture and Environment) Tran Thanh Man opened the drill. Photo: Kim Nhue

Situations set out in the drill: Due to the influence of storm No. 5 (Kajiki) circulation in Hanoi and the northern provinces and cities, there was a very heavy rain, water from upstream poured in combined with the regulation of hydroelectric plants, the water level of the Da River rose above the level III flood warning; many locations of the Da right dike passing through Bat Bat commune were at risk of overflow, there were incidents of seepage, landslides of the dike slope, extrusion, and erosion of the dike foot...

Bat Bat Commune operates a command mechanism for natural disaster situations. Photo: Kim Nhue

Faced with the above situation, the Party Committee and People's Committee of Bat Bat commune immediately convened an urgent meeting to listen to the situation report. The Standing Committee of Bat Bat commune Party Committee directed relevant units to mobilize all forces, means, and materials, resolutely protect the dike, protect people's lives and property, and absolutely not allow casualties or loss of security and order...

Bat Bat commune's disaster prevention and control force patrols and controls the incident at the Da Huu dike. Photo: Kim Nhuệ

Implementing the direction of the Party Committee, the People's Committee and the Civil Defense Command of Bat Bat commune have assigned specific tasks and areas to each individual and unit; mobilized forces, prepared materials and means to prioritize protecting the dike, and were ready to evacuate people in the affected area to a safe place...

Immediately after the practice of operating the command mechanism, the Bat Bat commune disaster prevention and control force coordinated with Dike Management Department No. 1 to increase the frequency of dike inspections.

Bat Bat commune's disaster prevention and control force learns skills to raise and prevent floods from overflowing the dike surface. Photo: Kim Nhuệ

When dike incidents are detected, the disaster prevention and control shock force urgently reports to the Bat Bat Commune Civil Defense Command so that the forces can quickly mobilize human resources, materials, and means to raise the surface and prevent floods from overflowing the dike surface under the technical guidance of officers and inspectors of Dike Management Division No. 1.

Bat Bat commune's disaster prevention and control force practices skills in handling landslides. Photo: Kim Nhuệ

Along with preventing floods from overflowing the dike surface, the Civil Defense Command of Bat Bat commune mobilized forces, means, and materials to handle the situation of dike slope landslides by driving bamboo piles, filling foundations, and reinforcing the slope to prevent the slide from developing.

Bat Bat commune's disaster prevention and control force practices skills in handling dike seepage incidents. Photo: Kim Nhuệ

In addition, Bat Bat commune also mobilized forces, means, and materials to promptly handle the phenomenon of dike seepage by digging Y-shaped drainage ditches, using sand and crushed stone to filter seepage to stabilize the dike body.

Bat Bat commune's disaster prevention and control force practices skills in handling incidents of extrusion and dyke footing. Photo: Kim Nhuệ

In particular, Bat Bat commune mobilized more than 100 people to handle the problem of extrusion and efflorescence at the foot of the dike with the measure of reverse filter wells using steel drums, sandbags, gravel, and crushed stone, preventing sand and soil in the dike foundation from being washed away by the seepage flow.

Vice Chairman of Bat Bat Commune People's Committee Hua Ba Trinh directly directed the drill to practice handling natural disaster situations. Photo: Kim Nhue

Speaking to reporters of Hanoi Moi Newspaper, Commander of Bat Bat Commune Military Command Do Dinh Quyet said that immediately after operating the two-level local government, Bat Bat commune established a shock force for natural disaster prevention and control with 359 people, including 43 militiamen, 316 youth union members, members of the Women's Union, Veterans Association, Village Chief, Party Cell Secretary, etc.

The commune assigned specific tasks and areas to each member; assessed the current status of disaster prevention and control works, prepared materials, means, and logistics, and promptly handled natural disaster situations in the area. This initiative helped the grassroots force handle the situation quickly, correctly, and effectively in each drill situation.

Bat Bat commune has established a shock force to prevent and combat natural disasters with 359 people. Photo: Kim Nhue

Bat Bat commune was established on the basis of merging the entire area and population of the previous communes: Tong Bat, Son Da, Thuan My and part of Cam Linh and Minh Quang communes. In Bat Bat commune, there are 15km of Da and Tich river dykes, including 9.7km of Da right dyke. This is an important defense line protecting thousands of households, socio-economic infrastructure and people's crops. In recent years, the impact of climate change, unusual storms and floods from Hoa Binh and Son La hydroelectric reservoirs has changed the flow, causing riverbank erosion, seepage and extrusion on the dykes. Some locations of Da right dyke have had incidents, such as the section from K7+850 to K8+080, which still pose a high risk and need to be closely monitored.

Vice Chairman of Bat Bat Commune People's Committee Hua Ba Trinh summarizes and draws experience after the rehearsal. Photo: Kim Nhue

“This drill helps the commune’s disaster prevention and control force gain more knowledge and skills in handling incidents and protecting the dike system. The commune’s Civil Defense Command clearly understands the functions and tasks in command work, deeply understands the “four on-site” motto in preventing, responding to, and overcoming incidents and natural disasters in the area…”, commented Vice Chairman of Bat Bat Commune People’s Committee Hua Ba Trinh.

According to Deputy Chief of Office of the Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and Search and Rescue of Hanoi City, Deputy Head of the Department of Irrigation and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control (Department of Agriculture and Environment) Tran Thanh Man, the drill closely followed local characteristics and had realistic content. Both the command mechanism and the practice demonstrated a proactive spirit and very good coordination between the government, professional forces and the grassroots. This is a valuable experience to replicate and improve the effectiveness of natural disaster prevention and control work in the community.

The drill in Bat Bat commune, right at the time when storm No. 5 directly affected Hanoi, further demonstrated the urgency of early preparation, from the grassroots level. Not only did this activity train local forces in dike incident handling skills, it also raised community awareness and strengthened people's trust in the leadership of the Party and government.

Through the drill, Bat Bat commune affirmed its determination to proactively prevent, be ready to respond, minimize damage caused by natural disasters, firmly protect the dike system, and ensure safety for the people.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/gan-200-nguoi-cua-xa-bat-bat-dien-tap-xu-ly-su-co-de-huu-da-714057.html