Japan provides 3.9 mln USD to help manage flood, drought in lower Mekong basin

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)
A document to this effect was signed in Vientiane, Laos, on March 13 between representatives from the Japanese government and Mekong River Commission (MRC).

The funding will be allocated in four years from 2020–2023. It is to transform the MRC’s Regional Flood and Drought Management Centre (RFDMC) in Phnom Penh into a centre of excellence in providing faster and more accurate flood and drought forecasting and early warning to the lower Mekong countries – Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. 

This grant will enable the MRC to further improve its flood and drought forecasting capability with the aim of continuing to assist the member countries to effectively tackle flood and drought risks for vulnerable communities, An Pich Hatda, Chief Executive Office of the MRC, said at the signing ceremony.

The Japanese government is one of the longstanding development partners of the MRC. Since 2001, the Japanese government has granted over 18 million USD to support several projects, including those on flood and drought management, irrigation, climate change and environmental management./.

VNA