BẠC LIÊU — The Bạc Liêu Province People’s Committee on Tuesday organised a meeting to discuss measures to repair two dykes that were breached by seawater in the last few days.

Also attending the meeting were experts from the Southern Institute of Water Resources and Research, a consulting firm run by the Water Resource University, and the Hydraulic Construction Institute.

They suggested piling rocks to plug the breaches and building a wall inside each of the dykes.

Underground dykes should be built, they said.

The experts said three-foot concrete blocks weighing a tonne or two each should be placed on the dykes to absorb the energy from waves.

But local authorities, warning that the blocks could be swept away or cause the dykes to subside, said the solution should be carefully considered in the case of Gành Hào Beach.

Chairman of the province People’s Committee, Dương Thành Trung, said local authorities should take immediate measures to ensure the safety of people in the affected areas.

As a long-term solution, authorities should build breakwaters in the alluvial grounds at Nhà Mát and Gành Hào beaches to protect the dykes, he said.

Lai Thanh Ẩn, chief of the Bạc Liêu Province Steering Committee for Storm and Flood Prevention and Control, said dyke sections more than 50m long have been damaged including parts that have collapsed.

The 11-year-old dykes are not robust enough to withstand the frequent strong winds and huge waves, he said.

The two dykes play an important role in protecting the Bạc Liêu coast from the sea. — VNS