Myanmar Vice President Dr.Sa Mauk Kham has called on people to participate in the disaster awareness program, saying that preparedness and preventive measures should be enhanced and speed up, official media reported Saturday.

Addressing at the ceremony of the International Day for Disaster Reduction 2012 in Nay Pyi Taw Friday, Dr.Sa Mauk Kham urged all departments and organizations concerned to implement the short-, the medium-, and the long-term projects on the disaster risk reduction, said the New Light of Myanmar.

He stressed "since the national development and disaster risk reduction are inseparable, every development project being undertaken in the country should be reflected from the disaster risk reduction perspective."

He underlined that the local government have to respond immediately to the overarching impact of the natural disasters that is going to affect local people.

Myanmar had established Disaster Preparedness Committees at all administrative levels to implement the disaster risk reduction strategies.

Myanmar is one of the signatories of the Agreement on the Establishment of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Center).

Myanmar government carries out disaster risk reduction activities with various stakeholders and foreign organizations in the wake of Cyclone Nargis in 2008, Cyclone Giri in 2010, Tahlay earthquake and the flash flood in Magway Region in 2011.