Erosion occurred on the Ba Rài River in Tiền Giang Province’s Cai Lậy District on August 3, causing a house to fall into the river. – VNA/VNS Photo Minh Trí

TIỀN GIANG – Tiền Giang Province estimates it will spend nearly VNĐ165 billion (US$6.9 million) to repair 69 eroded areas with a total length of more than 12km which were damaged this year.

They are located mostly in Cai Lậy, Cái Bè and Châu Thành districts.

Erosion along rivers and coastal areas has complicated the lives of local people and agricultural production, according to the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The section of the Ba Rài River between Cai Lậy District and Cai Lậy Town, for instance, is often severely eroded.

It faced four instances of erosion with a total length of 155 metres in the past two months, blocking travel at the eroded places.

The section of the Tiền River near Tân Long ferry dock in Tân Phú Đông District has been eroded along nearly 1km, threatening the safety of local people and agricultural production.

Many households near the ferry dock have had to move to safe areas because some infrastructure facilities and farming areas fell into the river.

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province has spent VNĐ5 billion ($210,000) to repair 50 metres eroded at the ferry dock and the rest of the eroded section will be repaired in the coming time.

On the Tiền River, a tributary of the Mekong River, Tân Phong riverine island in Cai Lậy District and Thới Sơn riverine island in Mỹ Tho City are erosion hotspots.

On August 3, severe erosion happened at the Tiền River in Cái Bè District’s Hoà Hưng Commune, forcing six houses into the river and dozens of houses urgently relocated to safe areas.

The province is spending VNĐ857 billion ($36 million) from central and local Government budgets to repair six seriously eroded places with a total length of 14.7km in 2022-23.

In 2020-21, it spent VNĐ265 billion ($11 million) to build 10 erosion prevention embankments with a total length of 5.9km along river and coastal areas.

They have helped stabilise the lives of local people and agricultural production, according to the department.

Ưng Hồng Nghi, deputy director of the department, said the province was urgently implementing its plan of preventing erosion along rivers and coastal areas from now to 2030.

The plan sets up prevention measures, strictly implements regulations on preventing and controlling erosion, and evaluates the efficiency of erosion prevention projects which have been built since 2020, according to Nghi.

The department has proactively co-operated with relevant departments, agencies and localities to evaluate erosion cases and their causes to set up repair measures.

It has tightened inspections of illegal sand mining in rivers and canals and the building of houses and other facilities on the safety corridor of rivers and canals.

It has petitioned the Government to support the urgent implementation of nine erosion prevention projects costing a total of VNĐ2.9 trillion ($121 million).

The projects prevent erosion on Gò Công coast, the Tiền River sections in Chợ Gạo, Cái Bè and Tân Phú Đông districts and Mỹ Tho City, and the Cái Bè River and Nguyễn Văn Tiếp Canal in Cái Bè District. – VNS