HCM City (VNS/VNA) – The Mekong Delta region has been threatened byerosion along rivers and canals in recent days, and authorities are takingmeasures to protect people and property.

The delta is entering the rainy season, which can cause more erosion,especially as rains and storms combine with high tides.

An Giang province saw 50 metres of land being eroded in two places in Cho Moi district’sKien An and Long Kien communes on June 2.

In Long Kien, a part of a house fell into the Ong Chuong Canal as a result.

The district had earlier suffered erosion in four cases affecting a totallength of 150 metres in Kien Thanh and My An communes on May 25, badlyaffecting transportation.

In Vinh Long province, a 70 metre long and 20 metre wide section of the CoChien River dyke in Long Ho district’s An Binh commune was washed away on June1, affecting one fish farming pond and 40 floating fish cages.

Ho The Nhu, head of the district Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development,said work is being carried out to repair the eroded site and evaluate losses tolocal households.

The Soc Trang provincial People’s Committee on May 25 declared an erosionemergency in the Rach Phung River and three river islets in the Hau River in KeSach district.

The islets are My Phuoc in Nhon My commune and An Tan and An Cong in An Lac Taycommune.

Ke Sach is one of Soc Trang’s districts most severely affected by river erosionin recent years, averaging two kilometres a year in recent years and affectingroads, orchards and houses.

The district has had 13 erosion cases with a total length of 525 metres alongriver embankments and river-side roads, 15 erosion cases with a total length of714 metres in river islets this year, causing a total property damage of 7billion VND (305,000 USD).

After each time, they would mobilise people to repair erosion sites, but thingsare only worsening, according to local authorities.

“Erosion along river banks and coast in the province has become complicated inscale and impact, and can occur any time,” said Huynh Ngoc Nha, director of theSoc Trang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The department has called on the province People’s Committee to instructlocalities to assess the erosion situation and adopt preventive measures.

In Can Tho, a centrally run city, there have been six cases of erosion thisyear that caused a house and parts of 25 others to slip into rivers and canals.

Nguyen Ngoc He, deputy chairman of the Can Tho People’s Committee, said thecity has many sites severely threatened by erosion, especially during the rainyseason.

The People’s Committee would ask the Government for funds to mitigate thethreat and relocate households in danger to safer areas, he said.

The city Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Searchand Rescue has petitioned the People’s Committee to seek 252 billion VND (10.9million USD) for four river embankment projects in Binh Thuy, Thot Not andPhong Dien districts.

The delta needs around 8.1 trillion VND (352 million USD) to shore up 76seriously eroded sites with a total length of 140 kilometres along rivers andcoasts, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

Over the past decade serious erosion has been caused along rivers, canals andcoasts because of human and natural factors in the delta, the country’s largestrice, fruit and seafood producer.

The ministry has sought 6.6 trillion VND (287 million USD) from the governmentfor the delta to fix 156.9 kilometres of sites including those slightly eroded.

It is also assessing the erosion situation in the delta.

It is also creating data about the delta’s existing embankment system./.