Erosion along the Trà Nóc River’s banks has damaged houses in Cần Thơ City’s Bình Thuỷ District. – VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Liêm

CẦN THƠ – Cần Thơ City will build an embankment to prevent erosion along the Trà Nóc River in Bình Thuỷ District in 2023-25 at a cost of VNĐ270 billion (US$10.9 million).

The funding will come from the central and local governments.

The city People’s Committee has allocated VNĐ100 billion ($4 million).

It has assigned the Departments of Planning and Investment and Agriculture and Rural Development to oversee the construction and ensure the project is completed on schedule and meets quality requirements.

A two-kilometre embankment will be built along the river between the Xẻo Mây and Rạch Chùa bridges in Trà An Ward.

Nguyễn Quí Ninh, head of the Irrigation Sub-department, said the river bank in that section was severely eroded and the embankment would protect infrastructure, properties and lives.

It would also prevent illegal encroachment of the river bank, he said.

The Trà Nóc is one of two large rivers in Bình Thuỷ District and links up with the Hậu River, a tributary of the Mekong.

The river’s section in Trà An Ward caused major erosion in 2020-21 that damaged nearly 40 houses.

More than 120 households living along the bank continue to be threatened.

The city is increasingly suffering from erosion along its rivers and canals, which cause severe damage to property, according to its steering committee for natural disaster prevention and control and search and rescue and civil defense.

There have been nine cases of erosion affecting 268 metres so far this year that caused five houses and parts of 16 others to plunge into the river.

The city has undertaken many erosion-prevention projects, including building embankments, and improved the quality of local human resources and facilities for coping with natural disasters.

It has petitioned the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and relevant ministries to allocate funds for building four embankments with a total length of 5,150 metres at a cost of VNĐ750 billion ($30.1 million).

They will be built in Bình Thuỷ and Vĩnh Thạnh districts. – VNS