HCM City (VNA) – A forum in Ho Chi Minh City on June18 once again urged effective solutions to riverside and coastal erosion, landsubsidence and saltwater intrusion, which are getting worse in the MekongDelta.

Minister of Natural Resources and EnvironmentTran Hong Ha said the Mekong Delta plays a critical role in national foodsecurity and economic development. 

However, the delta is being influenced by thegrowing water exploitation of countries upstream Mekong River, along with theincreasing population and growth pressure that has led to higher water demandand water pollution. Meanwhile, inappropriate infrastructure development hasresulted in unprotected water sources and land subsidence.

Additionally, abnormal floods, more droughts,serious saltwater intrusion, widespread land subsidence, and riverside andcoastal erosion have been recorded in almost all localities in the Mekong Deltaas a result of climate change impacts, the official noted.

According to Director of the ministry’sDepartment of Water Resources Management Hoang Van Bay, as of the end of 2018,the Mekong Delta had 562 riverside and coastal erosion sites with the totallength of 786km. Erosion occurs in not only the rainy season but also the dryseason, from big river branches to canals, with growing seriousness.

He called for the designation of areas wheregroundwater exploitation must be restricted. Maps of subsiding areas andsaltwater intrusion in the whole region should be drawn so that ministries andauthorities will have the basis to take countermeasures.

It is also necessary to gradually reducegroundwater exploitation and build concentrated water supply systems which usesurface water instead of groundwater, Bay added.

Tran Quang Hoai, Director General of the VietnamDisaster Management Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment, said the Mekong Delta is usually strongly affected by saltwaterintrusion in the dry season, which is also a natural rule. However, in recentyears, the flow of water from the upper reaches of Mekong River to theVietnamese region has changed due to the construction and operations ofhydropower reservoirs upstream, breaking the saltwater intrusion rule andcausing irrigation difficulties.

To address this issue, he suggested relevantagencies and authorities should improve the flooding and saltwater intrusionforecasting capacity, reinforce and increase anti-erosion and intrusion facilitieslike culverts, dams and embankments.

Pointing out the serious coastal erosion in CaMau, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Tien Hai explainedsome solutions his province has carried out, including structural andnon-structural measures. 

He added embankments have been built to supportthe formation of alluvial grounds, helping to recover hundreds of hectares ofcoastal forest. Many businesses have also registered coastal tourism andcommercial services projects in Ca Mau.

At the forum, participants also proposed someideas to encourage private investment in coastal protection.-VNA