VNExpress-Aug 28
Erosion has destroyed hundreds of hectares of farmland and protective forest along the coast of Ben Tre Province, putting thousands of families in jeopardy. For the past five years, erosion has been pushing its way inland up to 200 m into Ben Tre’s Ba Tri District, damaging protective forests, farming areas, and even washing away local residences. Ben Tre has 65 km of coastline and has suffered some of the worst erosion damage in the Mekong Delta this year, losing about 200 hectares of land and 54 hectares of protective forests. Along the coast of Bao Thuan Commune, there are about nine hectares of casuarina forests that have been killed by erosion and saltwater intrusion. Local Ben Tre resident Bui Thi Men’s family used to own one hectare of land and two houses but has lost everything to the encroaching seawater. Now the entire family has moved inland to more urban areas in search of opportunities to make a living. In the Mekong Delta, the windy season normally arrives near the end of the rainy season, which is around November, and stays until early April when the dry season kicks in. Stretching 800 m long, a concrete embankment in Bao Thuan Commune was completed two years ago at the cost of VND45 billion. It currently protects 3,500 households. Stretching 800 m long, a concrete embankment in Bao Thuan Commune was completed two years ago at the cost of VND45 billion. It currently protects 3,500 households. Ba Tri District authorities are mulling a VN300 billion project to build another 5-km concrete embankment to protect 200 hectares of land and thousands of houses from further coastal erosion. Read more at:
