The Australian-funded Tinh Hoa Harbour will help protect hundreds of poor fishing families who are most vulnerable to loss of life and income during natural disasters.

Fishing communities along the central coast are among the poorest in the country and are particularly vulnerable to the loss of a vessel or primary income earner. The harbour is a component of Australia's US$13 million Quang Ngai Natural Disaster Mitigation Project.

Deputy chairman of the Quang Ngai People's Committee, Truong Ngoc Nhi, said Tinh Hoa Harbour would provide a refuge for vessels when natural disasters strike and at the same time provide supplies to vessels, thus stabilising fishers' living standards.

Over 67 lives and 113 vessels have been lost in the last five years in Quang Ngai Province due to natural disasters. Most of these losses occurred when fishing vessels attempted to seek refuge through river mouths to flee floods and typhoons.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Australia's ambassador to Viet Nam, Bill Tweddell, said: "Assisting Viet Nam mitigate the impact of natural disasters is a priority for our development programme."

"The Quang Ngai Natural Disaster Mitigation project is an excellent example of how communities can lessen their vulnerability to natural disasters, a model that can be replicated in neighbouring provinces across central Viet Nam."

This article first appeared on www.vietnamnews.vnanet.vn

June 18, 2008

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