Hanoi (VNA) - Extreme weather conditionsare becoming more common in the region and around the world and have greatlyaffected Vietnam, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Hatold lawmakers at the National Assembly’s ongoing 10th session inHanoi on November 5.

Responding to legislators’ concerns about the storms,floods, and landslides that have hit the central region since mid-October, Haexplained that a combination of different extreme weather conditions is at play.

Four consecutive storms, including Storm Molave,the strongest in 20 years, and a prolonged low-pressure system togethertriggered historic rainfall, with Quang Nam province recording in excess of 500mm a day and other areas 2,000-4,000 mm in a short period of time.

Landslide-hit areas in Thua Thien-Hue, QuangBinh, Quang Tri, and Quang Nam provinces, meanwhile, are all at an altitude of300-900 metres above the sea level and are on sloping terrain and geologicalfaults that have moved recently.

These factors, added with incessant downpours,led to a high risk of landslides, the minister noted.

Regarding forest coverage in the central region,he said that changing forest use purposes is inevitable since the country willneed more space for urban development as its population passes 100 million.

However, Ha added, such changes need to takeinto account key forest areas, like protection, special-use, and naturalforests.

Affirming that small-scale hydropower plants arenot to blame for recent landslides, he said: “It is our fault that the benefits,effectiveness, and technology at these plants haven’t been analysed.”

Power generation can live in harmony with nature,the minister said.

Since late September, 235 people in the centralregion have been listed as dead or missing from storms and floods, which havealso caused estimated economic losses of about 17 trillion VND, according to aGovernment report to the National Assembly on November 2./.