The sea encroaches 30 to 50 metres in the Cua Dai ward annually (Photo: VNA)The overexploitation of sand, deforestation and natural disasters have led to increasingly serious erosion in many coastal areas of Vietnam, an expert has said.
Deputy Director of the Vietnam Institute for Water Resources Research Tran Dinh Hoa pointed out the fact at a workshop in central Quang Nam province on September 7.
Participants at the function, numbering around 200 specialists, said in Quang Nam alone, the simultaneous erosion and soil and sand settlement in the area of the Cua Dai Sea have worsened in recent years, greatly affecting the local socio-economic situation.
Hoi An is home to 7 kilometres of coastline; in recent years, the sea has encroached 30 to 50 metres in the Cua Dai ward.
Vice Chairman of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers Hitoshi Tanaka said the possible cause of the severe erosion in this area is the decrease in the volume of mud and sand flowing from the upper Thu Bon River system.
Experts said a number of localities in Vietnam have yet to design master plans on the exploitation and potential development of and disaster prevention along their estuaries and coasts. Meanwhile, structural measures have not been carried out synchronously, reinforcing certain areas but causing erosion in others.
Vice Chairman of the Quang Nam People’s Committee Le Tri Thanh said besides temporary measures, the province is working with central agencies and foreign researching bodies to devise long-term solutions, noting that it is examining the exploitation of sand along the Thu Bon River system.
The workshop was held by Japan’s Tohoku University, the Vietnam Institute for Water Resources Research and Vietnam’s Thuy Loi (Water Resources) University.-VNA
