(VOVworld)- Vietnam has sent urgent appeals to international communities, asking for 48.5 million USD to deal with the impact of increasingly severe drought and saltwater intrusion caused by the El Nino phenomenon. The request was made at a conference jointly organised by the UN and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Hanoi on April 26.

At the meeting, Vietnam announced a national urgent response plan covering water and food supply, sanitation and health care. In March, the Government, the UN and some non-governmental organisations released quick calculations that two million Vietnamese would be without access to clean water and 1.1 million in need of food aid across 18 of the hardest-hit provinces. Their findings also showed that more than 60,000 women and children were malnourished and 1.75 people saw their sources of livelihood severely damaged. Pratibha Mehta, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, said Vietnam has been active in delivering urgent assistance; however, the situation requires special international help. Authorities cannot meet local demand due to a lack of resources, she stressed. Mehta noted that the UN will continue supporting Vietnam to implement its relief plan. By late afternoon, approximately 7.34 million USD in aid was pledged. The World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Japanese Government, French Development Agency (AFD), and German Development Bank (KFW) said they are willing to help Vietnam cope with the current crisis and implement long-term projects in response to climate change.