CÀ MAU — The Government has given the green light for the construction of the eastern sea dyke in this southernmost province, with a total investment of VNĐ1.3 trillion (US$58 million).

The investment aims to help residents in the area respond to climate change and the rising sea level.

Cà Mau Province has a 254km-long coast, including 100km facing the eastern sea and 154km facing the western sea. A dyke along the western sea shore was constructed in the 1990s, while the eastern sea dyke has yet to be built.

According to local authorised agencies, the area along the eastern sea is home to 260,000 households, with 130,000ha of farming land.

This area is suffering from serious landslides and saline intrusion, with seawater affecting farming land. Meanwhile, the destruction of protective coastal forests and the polluting of the environment have created unsafe living conditions for the locals.

The Government project, scheduled to be rolled out over the course of many years, will begin this year. Funding will be mobilised every year until the project is finished.

The primary tasks will be building the sea dyke system, planting protective forests, relocating residents and securing their livelihoods.

Local authorities are completing procedures to start the project as soon as possible.

Another investment worth nearly VNĐ18 billion ($800,000) from the State budget has been mobilised to help the province with recovery from the severe drought and saline intrusion. 

The provincial authorities directed localities to dredge nine fresh water canals in districts of Trần Văn Thời, U Minh, Thới Bình and Cà Mau City, and dig new canals in Cà Mau City. 

The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is building a water pumping station worth nearly VNĐ1.2 billion ($53,300) in U Minh District, while repairing and building three irrigational sluices in the communes of Khánh Bình Tây, Khánh Hưng and Khánh Bình in Trần Văn Thời District. 

Additional State budget spending will be earmarked for affected areas to overcome drought and saltwater intrusion that occurred during the winter-spring crop between 2015 and 2016.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, as of April 15, nearly 40,000ha of rice in the province were damaged due to prolonged droughts and saline intrusion. — VNS