PHNOM PENH: Regional cooperation remains crucial to protect the welfare of over 670 million people in the South-East Asia region, which is exposed to multiple hazards.
At the 46th Asean Disaster Management Committee Meeting that kicked off in Cambodia on Tuesday (May 20), the host called for greater collaboration among the grouping’s member states as the meeting reaffirmed their commitment to a stronger and more resilient region.
"The continued engagement and support of the Asean member (states) is important when all members work together to promote local cooperation on disaster management,” Cambodian Senior Minister Kun Kim (pic), first vice president of the National Committee for Disaster Management, said at the opening ceremony, held in the touristic province of Siem Reap.
South-East Asia is prone to natural disasters, from typhoons, droughts, earthquakes, landslides and volcanic eruptions to flooding during the rainy season, due to its geographical location.
According to the Asian Disaster Reduction Centre (ADRC), the Philippines, located along the typhoon belt in the Pacific, for instance, encounters an average of 20 typhoons annually and five of those are considered destructive.
In mainland South-East Asia, countries like Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam continue to face troubling natural calamities.
Myanmar is still recovering from the devastating March 28 earthquake that killed more than 3,700 people.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Myanmar warned that over half a million people in earthquake-hit locations urgently need assistance.
"Seven weeks on, the impacts of the March 28 earthquakes in central Myanmar continue to drive significant humanitarian needs, both for immediate relief and early recovery.
"Many families remain displaced in temporary shelters or rental housing due to safety concerns, including fear of returning to structurally compromised homes, with limited sustainable long-term shelter solutions in sight,” OCHA Myanmar said in its May 17 "Myanmar: Earthquake Response” report.
The ADRC reported that heavy rainfall in north-western Vietnam on May 16 triggered a landslide at the construction site of a hydropower plant that killed five and injured four others. - Bernama
