Mekong Delta Farming Threatened by Sea, River Erosion

Erosion in many places in the Mekong Delta has affected about 500 hectares of land as local authorities struggle to seek effective solutions, the Vietnam News Agency reported Monday. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, sea water intrudes 30 to 40 meters into the coastal land in the region. Erosion is recorded in 20 places along a 200 kilometers coastline. Places reporting severe erosion include Binh Dai and Thanh Phu districts in Ben Tre province, and in Hiep Thanh and Dan Thanh districts in Tra Vinh provinces. Tang Quoc Chinh from the ministry’s Irrigation Department said erosion had also occurred along riverbanks in the delta. Erosion has hit 265 places along the delta's rivers and estuaries and the total length of collapsed riverbanks is 450 km, he said. The erosion was mainly caused by the construction of irrigation and hydropower reservoirs along the upper parts of the Mekong River, which had changed the flow of water, Mr. Chinh said at a recent workshop. He also said that over-exploitation of underground water and climate change impacts were among the causes. The erosion has affected cultivation and the lives of millions of residents living in the coast and along the eroded rivers. Christian Henckes of the German International Co-operation Agency (GIZ) suggested that agencies should take prompt action to deal with the problems, adding preventive forest plantations, construction of sea walls and river embankment should be carried out. Deputy Minister Hoang Van Thang agreed with Henckes, saying the delta needed an integrated approach to deal with the problems. Erosion and sea water intrusion are expected to become more severe. Experts forecast that 39% of the delta area will be under 30 m under sea water in 2100 because of climate change. The delta produces around 25 million tons of paddy annually and supplies nearly 90% of rice for Vietnam’s export. (Vietnam News June 8)