QUẢNG BÌNH — Gradual landslides along the coast in central Quảng Bình and Quảng Trị provinces have hastened the collapse of the local sea dyke and threatened thousands of residents living nearby.

In Quảng Bình, a 200m section of the Lý Hòa dyke in the province’s Hải Trạch Commune has collapsed due to a landslide underneath its base.

Nguyễn Duy Huy, the commune chairman, said along the broken area of the dyke, water has intruded inland, with some sites 10m away from the coastline.

The top part of the dyke serves as a key road for locals; however, commuting on it has been blocked due to the broken section.

According to Huy, the dyke was put into use in 2015, but gradual erosion underneath the dyke has resulted in a large crack on the concrete surface of the dyke, following which that section completely broke after a storm in September.

Nguyễn Trung Hầu, a resident living close to the coast, said he saw strong waves estimated to be 5m high hit the dyke during a recent storm before it collapsed recently.

Huy said the commune would mobilise local forces to fix the dyke with rock and sand bags until provincial authorities funded a thorough repair.

In Quảng Trị, 10km of the sea dyke in Vĩnh Thái Commune in Vĩnh Linh District has several broken sections.

According to commune chairman Nguyễn Văn Thọ, the damaged dyke could affect 1,000 families living along the coast.

Thọ said local authorities and residents had made several attempts to plant trees to combat erosion at the broken section of the dyke. However, he also recommended concrete repairs to reinforce the dyke system.

In the province’s Gio Linh District, a dyke along Cửa Việt estuary also collapsed at several sections due to landslides underneath the dyke’s base, facilitating the widening of the estuary and intrusion of saltwater in the locality.

Lê Đa Sơn, director of the Quảng Trị Department of Irrigation, Flood and Storm Prevention, said the province is facing a shortage of capital for large-scale dyke construction and repair. He suggested local authorities plant a tree corridor along the coast as a sustainable solution. — VNS