VietNamNet Bridge – Land erosion in the Mekong Delta provinces, where rivers crisscross, is displacing thousands of families and damaging dozens of houses.
Erosion has worsened along Hau river, as river levels are low because of the dry season.—Photo nld.com.vn
In An Giang and Dong Thap provinces, thousands of households are scheduled to be relocated to safer areas because of erosion along the Tien and Hau rivers, two tributaries of the Mekong River.
The two provinces have asked the Government to fund an additional 24 residential areas to relocate more than 6,500 households in erosion-prone areas.
Erosion has worsened along the Tien and Hau rivers, as river levels are low because of the dry season, according to the An Giang Province Department of Natural Resources and Environment.
In An Giang’s Phu Tan District, land erosion of one to two metres deep each year has occurred along a 1,500-metre section along the Tien River in Long Hoa Commune. Last year, erosion of this section caused damages to six houses.
This year, provincial road 954 could be affected as well, according to the province’s department.
In Tien Giang Province, nearly 2,000 households along the Cho Gao Canal are concerned about their homes as erosion continues along the canal’s banks.
In Can Tho, seven of 12 houses located in an erosion-prone area in My Khanh Commune in Phong Dien District collapsed into a river on Monday.
Tran Hoang Lam, chairman of the My Khanh Commune People’s Committee, said that riverbank erosion in this area had caused cracks in five other houses in the area.
“The houses are leaning and could collapse at any time,” he said, adding that local authorities had moved residents in these houses to safer areas.
Land erosion has caused total damages of VND3 billion to the 12 households.
Also, nearly 2,000 houses in Can Tho’s Phong Dien District are located in erosion-prone areas, according to the district’s People’s Committee.
Nguyen Long Hoai, head of the Ca Mau Province’s Irrigation Sub-department, said the impact of climate change and rising sea water levels had caused severe erosion of the East-Sea and West-Sea dykes.
Since the end of last year, Ca Mau has spent more than VND100 billion (US$4.7 million) to upgrade 3.5km of the West Sea Dyke.
The upgrade is expected to be completed before the beginning of the rainy season.
Other coastal provinces such as Bac Lieu, Soc Trang, Kien Giang and Ben Tre have also faced coastal erosion in recent years.
The 50-km-long Vinh Chau Beach in Soc Trang Province’s Vinh Chau District has seven severely eroded sites totalling 2-km long.
Huynh Ky Hamlet in Vinh Chau’s Vinh Phu Commune is one of the most seriously eroded sections along the coast, according to the Soc Trang Irrigation Sub-department.
However, the province, in an effort to save rice crops, upgraded only 2km of the Huynh Ky Dyke.
The other eroded sections of the coast are waiting for investment capital, according to the sub-department.
In addition, land erosion has also affected six islets in Soc Trang Province.
Source: VNA