Reforestation, early zoning of landslide risk areas to adapt to natural disasters
The recent Typhoon Yagi and its aftermath caused severe devastation across many northern provinces and cities of Việt Nam. To mitigate and adapt to natural disasters such as storms and floods, it is crucial for localities to restore forest ecosystems and identify landslide-prone areas to give early warnings and take preventive action.
Regarding the importance of natural forests in absorbing rainwater and reducing floods, environmental experts noted the deep root systems of natural forest trees, intertwined with one another, play a crucial role in maintaining the stability between soil and rock layers. However, when forests are destroyed, these connections are lost.
Prolonged heavy rains saturate the soil, weakening the links between layers and increasing the likelihood of landslides. Thus, alongside post-disaster recovery for residents, localities must also focus on restoring forest ecosystems.
While restoring forest ecosystems is crucial, meteorology experts also noted that to effectively respond to natural disasters, it is necessary to continue investigating and surveying areas prone to landslides and rockslides and to map them out and issue early warnings for these areas.