Ca Mau loses about 6,200 ha of coastal land and protection forests

Loss of about 6,200 ha of coastal land and protection forests

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tung, Director of the Ca Mau Provincial Irrigation Sub-Department, said the province has a coastline of 320 km, ranking second nationwide after Khanh Hoa. However, more than 200 km of this coastline is experiencing erosion, with severity ranging from dangerous to particularly dangerous. Of this total, nearly 100 km is along the Western coast and more than 100 km along the Eastern coast. Statistics from 2011 to 2023 show that the entire province has lost about 6,200 ha of coastal land and protection forests due to erosion, threatening many residential areas, infrastructure facilities, and production zones.

In recent years, coastal erosion in Ca Mau has increasingly intensified due to high tides, sea-level rise, and climate change. Several sections of the Eastern coast, such as Ap Hap and Gia Cao, have been designated as areas of particularly dangerous erosion. Notably, three sections, which are those from Ho Gui to Bo De, from Kien Vang to Ong Ta, and from Kenh 5 O Ro to Vam Xoay,  have been declared emergency zones by the Chairman of the Ca Mau Provincial People’s Committee, but funding for remedial measures has yet to be allocated. Without synchronous solutions, erosion will continue to cause land loss, destroy mangrove forests, and inflict damage on coastal communities.

Erosion prevention and control plan

Following the directives of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh during his erosion inspection trip in early 2024 and the directives of General Secretary To Lam during his visit and working session with Ca Mau province in November 2024, Ca Mau has developed a coastal and riverbank erosion prevention and control plan through 2030 to address the issue at its root.

The plan identifies 15 eroded coastal sections requiring remediation, with a total length of approximately 120 km. These sections have also been integrated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment into the master plan for subsidence, erosion, flooding, drought, and saltwater intrusion prevention and control in the Mekong Delta, which has been submitted to the Government for consideration.

This represents an important step, enabling Ca Mau province to proactively adapt to climate change and high tides while protecting coastal residential areas, key transportation routes, and production zones. The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has integrated these sections into the master plan for subsidence, erosion, and flood prevention and control in the Mekong Delta, which is currently under Government review.

According to Mr. Tung, thanks to the support from the Central Government, Ca Mau province has constructed more than 110 km of erosion-control revetments using prestressed centrifugal concrete pile technology. The revetment structure consists of two rows of piles, each 10–12 m long, with rubble stones placed between the rows. On top of the piles, vertical and horizontal beams are installed. Waves passing through the revetment are almost completely dissipated, facilitating sediment accumulation, creating new coastal ground, and restoring mangrove forests.

The initial results are impressive, with more than 1,000 ha of coastal protection forests regenerated, contributing to protecting land and maintaining coastal ecosystems. The province is currently building an additional 20 km of revetments, with a total investment of about VND 770 billion, further expanding coastal protection and safeguarding local communities.

However, the completed projects are largely stopgap measures. They are not yet synchronized, do not fully address the dangerous coastal sections, and have not been aligned with the province's marine economic development orientation.

Mr. Le Van Su, Vice Chairman of the Ca Mau Provincial People's Committee, emphasized that sustainable erosion control must combine engineering measures with ecological restoration. The remaining sections of the Western and Eastern coasts require the urgent construction of protective revetments and the restoration of mangrove forests, with a total length of about 108 km and an estimated investment of approximately VND 9 trillion.

The synchronous implementation of these projects will not only reduce natural disaster risks but also raise community awareness, helping coastal residents to proactively adapt, safeguard their property, and maintain production activities.

* USD 1 = VND 26,153 (Source: Vietcombank)