HCMCity (VNA) - The HCM City administration has ordered the citySteering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Rescue andlocal authorities to assess 300 sites that face a highrisk of landslides and floods in case of heavy rains and storms.

Localauthorities need to review and make disaster response plans, Le Thanh Liem,deputy chairman of the city People’s Committee, told a recent online meeting toreview the steering committee’s work last year and make plans forthis year to prevent forest fires and mitigate the impacts of natural disasters.

Inrecent years the climate in the city and its surrounding areas has becomeunpredictable.

Experts have warned aboutworsening weather conditions, particularly prolonged droughts and heat waves,while natural disasters, mainly floods, storms and landslides, are expectedto occur more frequently.

“Relevant [agencies] must bemore proactive to improve the efficacy of prevention measures,” the official said.

All preparations have to becompleted before the rainy season began.

Thesteering committee had been tasked with co-ordinating with themanagement of Dau Tieng Lake in Dong Nai province to plan water discharge.

The Department of Transportneeded to step up oversight to ensure safety at ports and ferries.

Authorities in districts 9, CuChi, Binh Chanh, and Can Gio needed to focus on forest managementand fire prevention.

Lastyear there were 17 fires involving grass and other vegetation in the city on atotal area of more than 42ha, but there were no forest fires.

The fires were contained sincethey detected and handled in a timely manner.

There were three landslides,two storms and six instances of high tides, but no fatalities./.