VietNamNet Bridge - Landslides have been eroding coastal areas and tourism sites, seriously affecting the lives of thousands of people.

Travelers at Cua Dai Beach in Hoi An in Quang Nam province last year could not swim in the sea because of warnings about landslides. Similar warnings have appeared at Da Nang’s central beach and other places on the central coast.

According to Le Quang Nam, director of the Da Nang City Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, the landslide is caused by monsoon effects.

Tran Van Mien, Da Nang’s vice mayor, when reporting the landslide to the city’s Party Committee’s Secretary, said the landslides might be a natural phenomenon, as there is no construction work now.

However, environmentalists said landslides have been caused by construction activities. 

Landslides have been eroding coastal areas and tourism sites, seriously affecting the lives of thousands of people.

A lecturer at the Duy Tan University discovered after his fact-finding trip along the Da Nang coast that the coastal area from Nguyen Van Thoai to Holiday Beach was battered by sea waves. There are many multi-story houses on the left side of the road, just 100 meters from the coast.

Scientists think one of the reasons behind the landslide is the deep digging to build the foundations of buildings and find underground water. 

The Mekong Delta has also been affected. 

Nguyen Van Truong, head of the Tra Vinh provincial Irrigation Department, said as the landslidew were getting serious, the local authorities have asked for the state’s financial support to build solid embankments, about 10 kilometers in length, in some critical areas.

However, due to limited financial capability, only 5.6 kilometers of embankment have been completed with the average cost of VND100 billion for every kilometer.

According to Truong, afforestation is the best solution in the long term. However, at seriously stricken areas, building embankments is the most effective measure for now.

Nguyen Thanh Tung from the Ca Mau provincial Irrigation Department said serious landslides are occurring along 48 kilometers of the eastern coast in the province. 

The northeast monsoon plus the high tides have washed away some sections of the protective forests since early February. The landslides have seriously affected people’s lives and production schedules. 

Building hard embankments not only helps prevent waves, but also creates alluvial grounds and restores coastal forests.

However, while solutions have been found, provincial authorities all complain that they don’t have enough financial resources to implement the plans. Many provinces have asked for support from the state.

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