An Giang (VNA) – The Mekong Delta province of An Giang is devisingmeasures to prevent coastal erosion, which has become more serious due toclimate change and socio-economic activities.

Director of the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment TranDang Duc said 36 coastal erosion have occurred in the locality since thebeginning of this year, causing the loss of 4,414 square metres of land andaffecting 49 houses and other facilities. Total economic losses were estimatedat more than 4.2 billion VND.

He revealed that An Giang has 51 sections of rivers and canals prone to erosionwith a total length of 162.6 km of the 400 km of shoreline.

Erosion could affect 20,000 households, of which more than 5,380 need toquickly be moved to safer places, he noted.

Chau Phong, Binh My, and My Hoa Hung communes have been put on high alert, ashave Binh Duc, Binh Khanh and My Binh wards in Long Xuyen city.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Vuong Binh Thanh requestedlocalities devise population settlement plans, prioritising households inerosion-prone areas, including 29 in Cho Moi district and seven in Long Xuyencity.

He ordered a ban on heavy vehicles from travelling through eroded areas and proposeddredging solutions  and strict punishmentsfor illegal sand exploitation.

The official asked the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to workwith the Department of Science and Technology to research an early andautomatic erosion warning system in An Giang.

The amount of silt and sediment flowing down the Mekong Delta has beendecreasing, while the erosion of riverbanks and coastlines around the area isbecoming more serious.

The delta has 562 eroded sites along rivers and coasts spanning a total lengthof 786 km. From 2010 until now, the number of landslides has increased,affecting local lives and the economy.

The area covered by mangrove forests has also declined.

The landslides occurring alongriverbanks and coasts in the delta were mostly caused by human activitiesupstream, including the construction and operation of hydropower plants. Overexploitationof groundwater has also exacerbated the situation.

Rampant sand mining along the rivers has led to a shortage of sediment.

Along with the extreme impacts of climate change andpopulation growth, the number of ships and infrastructure development onrivers, canals and coastal areas has also caused erosion.

A survey conducted by the Southern Irrigation Science Institute found sedimentarriving down the Mekong Delta (from Ho Chi Minh City to Soc Trang province)fell sharply due to a large decline in silt, leading to protection forests infront of coastal dykes being narrowed.-VNA