Da Nang's beach is in danger

On My Khe Beach, landslides have caused serious damage to embankments and dangerous holes. A number of fences and internal roads have been damaged by sea waves. The local authorities have hung up boards forbidding residents and visitors to approach the site.

The same situation is seen in the coastal area from Man Thai Ward in Son Tra district to Hoa Hai ward on Ngu Hanh Son, where tens of kilometers of coastline have been damaged. 

The most affected area is in front of the apartment block developed by Muong Thanh Group and Holiday hotel complex.

On the two ‘hot spots’, construction works are nearly falling into the sea, while the roots of coconut trees are bare even though they were tens of meters away from the water edge. 

Subsidence, landslides and soil erosion have been damaging Da Nang beach seriously. The sea waves snap up the shore and swallow coastal areas reserved for restaurants.

Local people said the landslides are continuing, causing deep hollows of water, dangerous to visitors. The landslide may have a serious impact on tens of kilometers long of area if measures are not taken.

According to Nguyen Thi Tuyet, a local woman, the landslides began in 2016, but this is the first time the sea water had entered the mainland so deeply.

“If the local authorities don’t take action immediately, Da Nang Beach will be in a serious situation like Cua Dai beach in Hoi An,” Tuyet said.

Le Quang Nam, director of the Da Nang Environment Department, attributed the soil erosion to monsoons. The big volume of water discharged to the sea through the existing 50 outlets creates eddies which cause landslides.

Dr Nguyen Thi Minh from Duy Tan University believes the construction works on Vo Nguyen Giap street, which runs along the coastline, are the main cause.

To build multi-story buildings, contractors have to dig deep to set foundations and use a lot of underground water, which lead to weakening of the soil and depression. This, plus natural factors such as sea waves and seasonal rips, have caused landslides along the coastline.

Phuong said it is necessary to immediately stop activities exhausting the underground water. A reasonable plan on underground water exploitation also needs to be drawn up.

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Mai Chi