7 November 2011, Ha Noi – The United Nations is stepping up its response as unprecedented rainfall has filled the Mekong River to record levels over the past weeks, causing widespread flooding that now covers much of south and central Viet Nam in water.

Alarming number of child fatalities

The disaster has inundated close to 126,000 homes, affecting around 566,000 residents and killing an alarming number of children. Out of 78 reported deaths, 65 are children.

The hardest hit areas are the southern provinces of Dong Thap, where close to 28,000 houses were flooded, and An Giang, where flooding and river bank erosion have damaged over 20,000 homes. Fifty-one schools are submerged in flood waters in An Giang, affecting a significant number of students. In the province alone, 18 people died, 14 of them children.

Ly Ngoc Hua, a 31 year-old mother of two, says she sets out on her small wooden boat four times a day to take her children – first and a fourth graders - back and forth to school. “The school is a 20-minute boat ride from our home. We are terribly busy during the day as we’re still trying to save our belongings, but we feel it’s important our children go to school. Our home is constantly on the verge of getting flooded. We’ve decided to have our children sleep at their grandparents’ at night so they are on higher ground and safe from the rising waters”, she adds.

Drowning prevention a priority

The Mekong floods have caused an alarming number of child fatalities, most of them due to drowning.

“During this type of emergency, drowning is the biggest child-killer,” said UNICEF Viet Nam Deputy Representative Jean Dupraz. “Populations here have lived along the Mekong River for centuries. Still many children do not know how to swim. And it takes only a few minutes for a child to be swallowed by powerful river streams. Drowning prevention is our priority.”

So far, UNICEF has provided supplies such as 2,000 floating bags, 1,200 life vests, eight boats and 500 buoys to protect children from drowning.

UNDP through OCHA funding is also taking action, supporting Save the Children with the delivery of 2,000 life vests; 12,000 water containers and more than 7,000 floating school bags that are benefiting more than 10,000 affected families.

Children face other risks, as well, including the spread of disease from standing water and unsafe sanitation. UNICEF is responding to these needs with enough clean water and hygiene supplies to serve 72,000 people for 15 days, including water purification tablets, bars of soap, jerry cans and water filters. In addition, WHO has provided 1.5 million water purification tablets that are being distributed to provinces under management of the Ministry of Health.

Still, additional help is urgently required, and more flooding is forecast for weeks ahead.

For further information, please contact:

• Ms. Sandra Bisin, One UN Communications Office; Tel. 84 4 3822 4383 ext 102; Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong; One UN Communications Office; 84 4 3822 4383 ext 118; Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.