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AN GIANG – The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of An Giang is facing an increase in erosion incidents along rivers and canals as authorities try to protect households living in erosion-prone areas.

On July 21, erosion 110 metres long and 8 – 10 metres inland caused damage to a road and 14 houses at an embankment in Châu Phú District’s Bình Long Commune.

The weak foundations of the embankment and the road, the heavy travel of boats and road vehicles, and the impact of the river flow and rainwater led to the erosion, according to the province’s Steering Committee for Climate Change Response, Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, and Search and Rescue.

On July 20, an area 45 metres long and 4.5 metres wide eroded along the Cái Sắn Canal in Long Xuyên City, causing partial damage to two houses and the collapse of two houses into the canal.

All road travel was suspended at the site. The eroded area is along a bend of the canal which has a high number of boats in transit that cause strong waves hitting the canal banks.

Lương Huy Khánh, head of the steering committee, said that the province People’s Committee, relevant departments and agencies, and local authorities in Long Xuyên City and Châu Phú District inspected the two eroded sites and proposed measures to prevent further erosion.

Long Xuyên City and Châu Phú District have encouraged households living near the two eroded sites to move their property to safe areas. Warning boards were installed in the area and staffs are monitoring the eroded sites.

The province's Department of Natural Resources and Environment is also checking the situation to resolve the matter.

In the first half of the year, An Giang had 12 erosion incidents, with a total length of nearly 800 metres, along rivers and canals, forcing eight households to move to safe areas.

In June alone, the province had seven erosion cases. The province People’s Committee declared an emergency at Châu Đốc River in An Phú Town after erosion of the eastern riverbank in An Thạnh Hamlet damaged houses and threatened the safety of locals.

Local authorities were told to take protective measures in high-risk erosion-prone areas and areas along rivers and canals that are illegally encroached upon to build houses and other projects.

The province has 52 erosion-prone areas, including six dangerous ones, according to its Department of Natural Resources and Resources. Nearly 20,000 households near the 52 areas need to be moved to safe areas.

Trần Anh Thư, vice chairman of the province People’s Committee, said the central government has offered financial support for erosion control along large rivers like Tiền, Hậu and Vàm Nao. 

The province said it would solve erosion along large rivers by 2025.

It will also relocate households living in high-risk erosion-prone areas to safe areas, including seven residential clusters. – VNS