NCDM on alert as water levels set to jump

THE National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM) has advised its municipal and provincial committees throughout the country to be on alert for high water levels and problems caused by rainfall during the rainy season.

In a notice on preparedness to respond to flooding on June 25, NCDM cited a weather forecast by the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology and information from the Mekong River Commission, saying rainy season weather will cause high water levels in the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers.

Disaster management committees need to strengthen measures to prepare high ground, evacuation procedures and other resources in the context of Covid-19, the notice said.

Announcements on the weather and water levels will be frequently made through local media, Telegram and the hotline 1294, so people in affected areas can act accordingly. And when there are signs of a pending disaster, local authorities can react before operational teams of the committees arrive, it said.

The committees’ secretariats have to coordinate, respond to disasters, gather and analyse information and regularly report to the NCDM, it added.