Long-term improvement in precautions for flood risk mitigation: A case study in the low-lying area of central Vietnam
This study examines the long-term improvement in precautions taken by commune authorities and households between two major floods in 1999 and 2017, as local actors appear as inseparable components of the integrated flood risk mitigation strategy in Vietnam. The study examines two flood-prone villages in central Vietnam.
The findings indicate that most villagers doubted the structural works' efficacy and were dissatisfied with the current efforts of local authorities. Households' self-preparation thus became the decisive factor in mitigating risk. While most households have paid greater attention to flood precautions in 2017, others seem to be lagging. Poverty-related barriers were the root causes restraining households in both rural and suburban villages. The suburban riverine residents were further identified as vulnerable by their limitations in upgrading structural measures, which was ascribed to the inconsistency in the ancient town's preservation policy. This multidimensional comparison, in terms of vulnerability, emphasized the importance of space-function links in the suburb and the contradictions of different policy initiatives, such as landscape rehabilitation, disaster prevention, and livelihood maintenance.
Explore further
