A riverbank in Tây Yên Commune, An Biên District, Kiên Giang Province suffering from severe erosion. VNA/VNS Photo Lê Sen

KIÊN GIANG River and seaside erosion in the Mekong Delta province of Kiên Giang has become more serious in recent years and greatly affected local residents.

Erosion has occurred in districts including An Biên, An MInh, Hòn Đất, Giồng Riềng, U Minh Thượng, Châu Thành, Giang Thành and Rạch Giá City.

The total river erosion length is about 195km, of which 25km is very serious. Total seaside erosion is more than 64km, with more than 30km very serious.

Nguyễn Văn Tâm, director of the Kiên Giang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the Kim Quy rivulet mouth in Vân Khánh Commune, An Minh District had been critically eroded by about 300m.

Several houses were damaged due to the erosion, while the electricity system also faces high risk because erosion has affected electric poles.

Tâm said the department proposed the provincial people’s committee to declare an urgent dangerous situation at the Kim Quy rivulet mouth and issue expenses to repair the dyke system. 

Mai Anh Nhịn, deputy chairman of the Kiên Giang People’s Committee, said that to improve the situation, more than VNĐ1 trillion (US$42.7 million) was needed. 

Last year the committee asked the State to support the province with about VNĐ300 billion ($12.8 million) to improve serious erosion parts and the proposal was accepted.

The province received VNĐ172 billion ($7.3 million) from World Bank loans to build coastal protection works with length of 10km in An Minh District.

It received VNĐ50 billion ($2.1 million) from the State reserve budget to improve 2.5km of erosion in An Biên District, and VNĐ80 billion ($3.4 million) from the fund for climate change and green growth to deal with dangerous landslides in Hòn Đất District.

Nhịn said the province sees building seaside protective works as an urgent task. VNS