Planting mangrove forests to protect coastal areas in Trà Vinh Province’s Cầu Ngang District. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Hòa

TRÀ VINH — The Trà Vinh Province People’s Committee has approved the construction of two embankment projects worth a total of VNĐ260 billion (US$11 million) to prevent river and coastal erosion.

A 1.1km embankment section will be built along the Láng Thé River in Càng Long District’s Đại Phước Commune. It will cost VNĐ60 billion and will be built in the 2020-22 period. When completed, the project will secure the safety of the district’s road along the river, and protect the safety and property of locals.

The other project is a 2.5km embankment along coastal areas in Cầu Ngang and Duyên Hải districts and Duyên Hải Town. The project, which will cost VNĐ200 billion, will protect protective forests, fields and sea dykes when it is finished in 2023. 

The province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will be the investor for both. 

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province has faced serious erosion along rivers and coastal areas in recent years, affecting agricultural production and the lives of locals. 

The province has more than 100 eroded areas along rivers and the coast. 

Most river erosion areas are located along the Hậu River in Cầu Kè, Tiểu Cần and Trà Cú districts and the Cổ Chiên River in Càng Long, Châu Thành and Cầu Ngang districts, and Trà Vinh City.

There are a total of 1.5km of river eroded sections that face an especially dangerous level in the province.

Most coastal erosion areas are on the Nhì Hamlet coast in Cầu Ngang District’s Mỹ Long Commune, the Hiệp Thạnh coast in Duyên Hải Town and Nhàn Islet in Duyên Hải District.

The province has 8km of coastal sections facing especially dangerous erosion levels. 

With a 65km coastline and location between the Tiền and Hậu rivers, two tributaries of the Mekong River, Trà Vinh has a dense river and canal network.

Đồng Văn Lâm, chairman of the province’s People’s Committee, has asked agencies to survey erosion-prone areas and upgrade river and sea embankments.

Localities should petition the province’s People’s Committee to allocate budget funds for new erosion prevention projects in areas that face dangerous erosion levels, he said.

The province’s People’s Committee has ordered the department to co-operate with relevant agencies and localities to plant more mangrove forests to protect coastal embankments and coastal areas.

Public information activities to prevent illegal encroachment of river banks and coastal areas should be strengthened, said the province’s People’s Committee.  

Local people should be instructed to plant trees such as mangrove palm and mangrove apple along river banks to prevent erosion, it said.

The province has invested more than VNĐ1 trillion ($43 million) to implement erosion prevention projects along rivers and coastal areas in recent years.

The province has nearly 9,000ha of mangrove forests and protective forests which help to prevent erosion along coastal areas. — VNS