Quang Binh province, 19 May 2022 – On the occasion of Viet Nam’s National Week for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the People's Committee of Quang Binh province, and World Share held a ground-breaking ceremony to build 73 storm- and flood-resilient houses for vulnerable poor and near-poor households that were severely affected by the historic flood and storm in the Central region in 2020. It is the second time that UNDP, World Share, and the Provincial Department of Planning and Investment are building resilient houses, the first occasion being their hand-over of 39 safe houses to poor families in December 2021.

Quang Binh is a province often heavily affected by natural disasters. In 2020 alone, it suffered the consequences of 4 historic floods, which caused damage to thousands of households. Although 2021 was generally considered more favorable, there were still more than a thousand houses that were flooded, as well as significant damage to furniture.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Phan Manh Hung, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Binh province, said, "During the historic flood of 2020, the two districts of Quang Ninh and Le Thuy have suffered heavy damage. The local people often face many difficulties every year after each storm and flood season. UNDP and World Share’s support for building flood-resistant houses is efficient and effective. On behalf of the provincial leaders, I would like to express our sincere thanks and hope that UNDP and World Share will continue to support this model of storm- and flood-resilient houses".

Storm- and flood-resilient houses are one of the most effective measures to help protect the lives and properties of the local people in coastal provinces. These houses need to have solid foundations, in addition to strong frames and roofs. Each house must also have a flood-proof floor that is 1.5m or higher above the highest flood level, and a minimum usable area of ​​10m². The roofs should be made of reinforced concrete or another high-quality material, such as ceramic tiles or corrugated iron. Ceramic tiled or corrugated iron roofs must be reinforced with firm ties to ensure durability. These resilient housing models were designed jointly by the Ministry of Construction and the Department of Construction of Quang Binh Province in the framework of UNDP’s project "Improving resilience of vulnerable coastal communities to climate change in Viet Nam", funded by the Green Climate Fund.

"All of these houses have withstood the impacts of floods and storms and multiple tropical depressions that passed over Quang Binh province in 2020 and 2021. We are happy to know that beneficiary households feel very safe living in these custom-built resilient houses. We can deploy further support to more people in the region", said Mr. Patrick Haverman, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Viet Nam.

"The special storm- and flood-resistant features of this particular resilient housing model received strong interest from 28 coastal provinces and the central government in an international conference on climate change adaptation, co-organised by the Government of Viet Nam, Norway and UNDP in Hanoi last week", he added.

"In 2021, World Share and UNDP supported the construction of 39 resilient houses. Realizing that many more people need stable habitats urgently, World Share and UNDP have continued to support the construction of 73 more safe houses. We hope that these 73 resilient houses will serve as temporary shelter for nearby families who are at risk of flooding", said Mr. Kuyng Jea Hyeon, Country Director of World Share in Viet Nam.

It is expected that these 73 resilient houses will be completed and handed over to the local poor people by the end of July 2022.

For more information, please kindly contact:
Phan Huong Giang
Media and Communications Analyst, Climate Change and Environment
United Nations Development Programme
Mobile: 0948466688
Email: phan.huong.giang@undp.org