ĐỒNG THÁP — Erosion along the Tiền River in Đồng Tháp Province has resulted in more than VNĐ172 million (US$7,600) worth of damage since the start of 2018.

Võ Thành Ngoan, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the reason for the problem was that the course of a nearby  stream had been changed.

Reports from the department said from 2005-17, nearly 305ha of land along the Tiền River had been swept away, causing losses of VNĐ350 billion ($15.6 million).

Ngoan said that to limit erosion, the provincial People’s Committee should instruct local authorities to set up warning signs in danger zones and assign inspectors to monitor the river.

The provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment also needed to manage sand dredging along the river.

Erosion-hit areas from Thanh Bình to Cao Lãnh are being shored up, and a 460-metre embankment is being built in Thường Thới Tiền Commune, Hồng Ngự District.

More than 5,900 households in the province are still living in danger zones, of which 2,440 need urgent relocation.

Ngoan said that the province planned to set up 12 residential quarters in seven districts to relocate them, with total funding of VNĐ657 billion ($29.2 million).

The province was waiting for approval from Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc, said Ngoan.

The Mekong (Cửu Long) Delta has 562 eroded sites along its rivers and coast, covering 786km, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

A combined stretch of 149km, including 26 river sites and 16 coastal sites, are extremely dangerous and need to be resolved urgently.

The total investment in the delta to solve erosion is expected to cost about VNĐ6.99 trillion (US$307.9 million).

An Giang, Đồng Tháp, Cà Mau and Bạc Liêu are the most affected provinces in the delta.

As of the end of last year, only 138km of eroded river sites and 49km of eroded coastal sites in the delta had been shored up with embankments and dykes, according to the Southern Institute of Water Resources Research. — VNS