Poor households in Quang Binh, Viet Nam receive resilient houses

Quang Binh, December 14, 2022 – In preparation for the Day for the Poor on December 31, 2022, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Quang Binh Department of Planning and Investment, and World Share handed over 73 new storm- and flood-resilient houses to poor and near-poor households living in disaster-prone areas. Since 2021, a total of 112 resilient houses have been built within the framework of this tripartite cooperation.

Quang Binh province often suffers from disasters. In October 2022, Storm No. 4 caused flooding in 40 places and triggered seven landslides affecting traffic routes. Several regions were isolated and inundated, especially Minh Hoa, Tuyen Hoa, and Quang Ninh districts, and hundreds of homes were flooded across the province.

"The People's Committee of Quang Binh province hopes that in the coming time, donors will continue to care for and support the poor people of our province, helping to provide them with long-term stability and contributing to sustainable eradication of hunger, poverty reduction, and especially disaster risk reduction," said Mr. Phan Manh Hung, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, at the ceremony.

Ms. Tran Thi Hien, a resident of Quang Xa village, Tan Ninh commune, Quang Ninh district, spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries. "My old house was small, run-down, and unable to hold up against storms and floods, and the area where I live gets deeply flooded. Every year, my daughter takes me to her house in Loc Ninh commune, Dong Hoi city, when I hear the weather report and want to escape from storms or flooding. We return home when the storm or flood is over, but my house's furnishings and papers are soaked, blown around, and ruined when we get there. It takes me a long time to clean up and fix everything."

"I am very happy to have this resilient house, since it means I won't have to worry about running anymore and my furniture won't get destroyed," she added. "I'll be asking my neighbors to stay at my home during storms and floods."

According to Mr. Park Hyeon Mo, Chairman of World Share, "Although the world is currently experiencing numerous challenges, including disasters like floods, droughts, and the COVID-19 pandemic, World Share will continue to help the people of Quang Ninh province."

Speaking at the event, Ms. Ramla Khalidi, UNDP Resident Representative in Viet Nam, highlighted, "According to a recent study on resilient housing conducted jointly by UNDP and the Ministry of Construction, over 110,000 families across 28 provinces still live in unsafe housing conditions, including more than 25,000 families in coastal districts. Of these, at least 1,000 are located in the six coastal districts of Quang Binh province. This contribution by World Share provides practical support that improves the resilience of local poor and near-poor families to climate change shocks."

In addition to these 112 resilient houses, since 2018, UNDP and the Government of Viet Nam have built 897 storm- and flood-resilient houses in Ba Don, Bo Trach, Le Thuy, Quang Ninh, Quang Trach, and Tuyen Hoa districts with support from the Green Climate Fund.

These resilient housing models were designed jointly by the Ministry of Construction and the Department of Construction of Quang Binh Province within the framework of the UNDP-supported project 'Improving the resilience of vulnerable coastal communities to climate change-related impacts in Viet Nam', funded by the Green Climate Fund. They have all been constructed with solid foundations, frames, and roofs designed to withstand disasters, and each must also have a flood-proof mezzanine at least 1.5m above the highest recorded flood level. The roofs should be made of reinforced concrete or other high-quality materials, such as ceramic tiles or corrugated iron, and must be strengthened with firm ties to ensure their durability. The resilient houses have already successfully withstood the impacts of several powerful past floods and storms.

For more information on the project, please click here.

This article was first published by UNDP Viet Nam