VietNamNet Bridge – Erosion has taken its toll on the Mekong Delta, claiming some 500 hectares of land in the region a year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Christian Henckes, director of the Integrated Coastal Management Program (ICMP), speaks at the conference on challenges in controlling erosion in the Mekong Delta and solutions in Soc Trang Province on Saturday

Worsening erosion has been seen along the Mekong Delta’s coastline, Deputy Minister Hoang Van Thang told a conference on challenges for controlling erosion in the region and solutions in Soc Trang Province last week.

Updated data of localities in the region showed coastal erosion has been recorded in 20 areas measuring a total length of up to 200 kilometers, or some one-fourth of the region’s coastline, said Tang Quoc Chinh, deputy head of the Disaster Prevention Agency at the ministry.

Chinh said erosion has been found at most coastal provinces in the region, including Ben Tre and Tra Vinh.

“The erosion has also occurred at river mouths and banks, and the agency has found erosion in 265 areas with a total length of 450 kilometers along river banks,” he said.

There are many reasons for erosion, Thang said. The main causes are the negative impact of upstream reservoir construction and hydropower damming on the water currents and the ability of forests to keep water, the excessive exploitation of underground water resources that have led to rapid land subsidence and climate change.

Chinh said rising erosion in the delta is also attributable to the illegal exploitation of sand and gravel and other natural resources in rivers, and waterway transportation.

To cope with increasing erosion in the region, Christian Henckes, director of the Integrated Coastal Management Program (ICMP), called for related agencies to quickly find solutions such as growing forests along the coastline and building breakwaters to minimize erosion in the region that plays a key role in ensuring food security.

But Thang said controlling erosion required solutions for the whole Mekong Delta rather than just several parts of the region.