VietNamNet Bridge – The amount of silt and sediment flowing down the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta has been decreasing, while the erosion of riverbanks and coastlines around the area is becoming more serious.

A severe landslide submerged five houses and threatened dozens of other houses along the O Mon River in Can Tho City’s O Mon District on May 21. - VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Liem

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Van Thang made the above announcement at a conference on finding technical solutions for riverbank and coastal erosion in the Mekong Delta held on Thursday in Can Tho Province.

The delta has 562 eroded sites along rivers and coasts spanning a total length of 786km.

From 2010 until now, the number of landslides has increased, affecting local lives and the economy, said Tang Quoc Chinh, director of the Disaster Control Department.

The area covered by mangrove forests has also declined.

The landslides occurring along riverbanks and coasts in the delta were mostly caused by human activities upstream, including the construction and operation of hydropower plants, according to Chinh.

In addition, overexploitation of groundwater has also exacerbated the situation.

Rampant sand mining along the rivers has led to a shortage of sediment.

The total volume of mining is estimated at 15 million cu.m a year, not including the dredging of waterways.

Along with the extreme impacts of climate change and population growth, the number of ships and infrastructure development on rivers, canals and coastal areas have also caused further erosion.

A survey conducted by the Southern Irrigation Science Institute found sediment arriving down the Mekong Delta (from HCM City to Soc Trang Province) fell sharply due to a large decline in silt, leading to protection forests in front of coastal dykes being narrowed. 

Source: VNS