The western sea dyke in Cà Mau Province has been severely eroded in several sections and requires emergency repairs. – VNA/VNS Photo Huỳnh Anh

CÀ MAU – The Cà Mau Province People’s Committee on October 21 declared an emergency after discovering a total of 5.8km of the 108km western sea dyke in U Minh and Trần Văn Thời districts dangerously eroded.

U Minh has two sections with a total length of 3.75km and Trần Văn Thời has three with a total length of 2.08km.

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province estimates it would require VNĐ69.7 billion (US$3 million) for immediate repairs.  

The erosion has affected the Đá Bạc national cultural heritage site, several border stations, residential areas, government offices, and schools and infrastructure in the two districts.

It also threatens 1,420ha of rice and the medium - voltage power system inside the dyke.

The dyke protects 26,000 households and 90,000ha of farms from the sea.

Lê Quân, chairman of the province People’s Committee, ordered the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the two districts to identify dangerous sites to set up safety corridors, personnel for monitoring and protective measures.

"The people’s committees of the two districts are responsible for moving people and their belongings to safety from dangerously eroded areas and those threatened by erosion," he said.

"All activities that could have an impact on forests and forest lands in the eroded areas are prohibited," he said.

The eroded sections have little or no protective forest either in some places.

In recent years the province has spent VNĐ958 billion ($41.2 million) to reinforce the dyke including building embankments to prevent erosion on a total length of 28.7 kilometres at key locations.

The embankment has helped grow hundreds of hectares of protective forests which help protect the western dyke. 

But inclement weather has caused erosion in some new sections in recent times.

Coastal erosion is becoming increasingly serious, according to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.– VNS