Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister NguyenXuan Phuc has once again emphasised the importance of protecting the marineenvironment while chairing a meeting on coastal erosion and sediment depositionat river mouths in central coastal provinces from Nghe An to Binh Thuan.

The event, which was held in Hanoi on November 7,saw the presence of officials from several relevant ministries and sectors, aswell as leaders of the central provinces. It was the third meeting on the issuethat the PM has chaired so far, following those with northern and southernprovinces.

There are 13 provinces and cities in the coastalcentral region from Nghe An to Binh Thuan. They have a coast that is 1,649kmlong and a dense river network with 48 river mouths flowing into the East Sea,equivalent to one river mouth per 34km of coast, according to the Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

In recent years, coastal erosion and sedimentdeposition at river mouths have become increasingly complex and severe.

The ministry noted that the provinces hardesthit by erosion are Nghe An, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Phu Yen,Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan. Some of the hot spots for this phenomenon are along thecoasts of Vinh Hai commune (Phu Loc district, Thua Thien-Hue), Cua Dai (Hoi Ancity, Quang Nam), and Ro hamlet and An Phu commune (Tuy Hoa city, Phu Yen).

Localities reported that there are still 88erosion sites with total length of over 120km along the central coast. QuangNgai has the highest amount of these sites with 21 in total, with the totallength of some 35km.


Meanwhile, sediment deposition is also gettingworse, especially at river mouths of Cua Lach Van and Cua Lach Con (Nghe An),Cua Sot (Ha Tinh), Nhat Le (Quang Binh), Cua Dai (Quang Ngai), Cua Tam Quan,and Cua An Du (Binh Dinh).

Such deposition has affected not only floodwaterrecession, waterway transport, public infrastructure, environment, and tourismactivities but also the daily life and economic activities of local residents.Some boats have been stranded or wrecked in these areas, even causing deaths,the MARD added.

At the meeting, PM Phuc requested immediateactions to not “let the grass grow under their feet”, stressing that thecentral strip is narrow, so encroaching on the sea and keeping land is veryimportant.

According to the government leader, many othercountries have tapped into their sea-related advantages to develop. Vietnam hasalso had a marine strategy until 2020, and all coastal provinces have grownwell, and 60 percent of the country’s GDP comes from these localities.

Therefore, protecting the marine environment isof critical importance, he said.

He demanded that localities strictly manage themoney invested in anti-erosion projects, asking the MARD to have an overallassessment of the erosion situation and devise solutions associated withsocio-economic development.

Meanwhile, localities need to boost their communicationsto raise public awareness and encourage people’s active moves to adapt to, preventand deal with environmental problems, the PM said.

PM Phuc also asked for the promotion of theprivate sector’s engagement in handling coast erosion and sediment deposition atriver mouths, including mobilising international resources and ODA loans, aswell as the application of scientific and technological advances in the work.–VNA