A portion of the western sea dyke in Khánh Bình Tây Commune in Cà Mau Province’s Trần Văn Thời District. – VNA/VNS Photo Huỳnh Anh

CÀ MAU – Cà Mau Province is taking measures to mitigate the impacts of increasing erosion and other natural disasters.

The country’s southernmost province and the one hit hardest by climate change lost some 4,900ha of coastal forests in the last 10 years to high tides and disasters.

The loss of forests has worsened the erosion.

On the eastern coast, where there is no dyke, the erosion situation is severe.

Without a dyke, the coast could lose 200ha of land a year, according to local authorities.

According to Tô Quốc Nam, deputy director of the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in many places erosion has already reached 45 – 50 metres inland.

In some areas, it has reached 80 – 100 metres, affecting infrastructure along the coast and the Hồ Chí Minh Road.

Erosion and loss of coastal forests is expected to worsen until year end because of the north-east monsoon that will cause seawater to rise.

In recent years the province has mobilised funding from various sources to build more than 40km of embankments on the western coast, preventing erosion and recovering mangrove forests.

But 16km of the coast still face a serious erosion threat.

This year erosion occurred thrice along a total length of 1.9km of coast and 149 times along rivers involving 3.03km.

Natural disasters damaged 7,500ha of crops, mostly rice, 500ha of aquaculture and 846 houses, inundating 572 houses and flattening 104. 

Nam said the department was seeking to speed up construction of resettlement projects to relocate households living in disaster – prone areas.

The province is also taking measures to help people in coastal areas adapt to climate change by ensuring sustainable livelihoods by teaching them effective fishing and aquaculture models.

At the beginning of this year the province People’s Committee announced plans to implement the National Strategy for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.

It focuses on professionalising natural disaster prevention and control forces.

The province People’s Committee focuses on increasing public awareness of natural disaster prevention and control through advocacy. – VNS