The final round of a contest 'Ring the golden bell - Together we mitigate natural disasters and create a sustainable future' took place in Da Nang on Saturday.

Representatives of the General Department of Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, the municipal Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention, Search and Rescue and Civil Defence, and the Department of Education and Training giving out prizes to outstanding contestants. Photo: HOANG HIEP

The event was jointly organised by the General Department of Natural Disaster Prevention and Control under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Da Nang Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention, Search and Rescue and Civil Defence, the Department of Education and Training, and the Acecook Viet Nam JSC.

In his remarks at the contest, Deputy Director of the General Department of Natural Disaster Prevention and Control Vu Xuan Thanh emphasised the contest was a practical activity in response to the International Disaster Risk Reduction Day and ASEAN Day of Disaster Management (October 13). Its aim was to uphold the high sense of responsibility of the community, society, school and parents in joining hands to raise awareness and skills on disaster risk prevention for children, in order to ensure that future generations are safer and happier.

Deputy Director Vu Xuan Thanh asked the municipal Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention, Search and Rescue and Civil Defence to continue effectively implementing Prime Minister-issued decision regarding the approval of the 'Enhancing community-based disaster risk management to 2030' project, as well as coordinate with relevant units to expand the scale of the 'Ring the golden bell' contest for junior high school pupils citywide.

Top priority will be given to using the disaster prevention fund for non-structural activities, especially raising awareness on natural disaster mitigation among children, the community and the whole society, and bring disaster prevention education into schools, added he.

According to Mr. Hoang Thanh Hoa, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in recent years, Da Nang has received special attention and support from the Central Government and international organisations to carry out many activities on disaster risk prevention, response and mitigation.

"Hopefully, after this competition, pupils will gain more knowledge and skills, and grasp more disaster prevention activities, thereby contributing to building Da Nang into a worth living and safe city from natural disasters" said Mr. Hoa.

Reporting by HOANG HIEP - Translating by M.DUNG