Warning about serious erosion of Go Cong sea dike protection forest belt

At the weak section, the protective forest is eroded, Go Cong sea dike faces the sea directly so the risk of dike failure is very high, especially during storms and tropical depressions.

**The forest belt with its ecosystem of mangroves, sycamore trees, and apricot trees... has been eroded by seawater. (Photo: Huu Chi/VNA)**

In the past 10 years, the Go Cong coastal protection forest belt has been seriously eroded, with many locations having only 4-20m of protective forest belt left.

According to the Irrigation Department under the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Dong Thap province, coastal erosion has destroyed 47 houses and threatened 120 other houses of households living along the sea dike.

At the vulnerable section, the forest is eroded, the dike faces the sea so the risk of dike failure is very high, especially during storms and tropical depressions. The area of protective forests is increasingly shrinking due to coastal erosion, with some locations losing 10-15 m of forest per year.

Mr. Dang Van Suot, 48 years old, a resident of Go Cong Dong commune, said that in the past, there were still many protective forest belts, located outside the dike, hundreds of meters away from the sea dike, but due to large sea waves directly attacking the forest, causing erosion, gradually uprooting the trees. Especially during the annual monsoon and storm season, many rows of large trees were uprooted by the waves.

Currently, many protective forest belts in Go Cong Dong commune are only 4-20m deep, some weak dike sections no longer have forests so the waves hit directly into the dike body. The remaining forest belts continue to erode and gradually narrow.

Meanwhile, every year, storms and tropical depressions appear more frequently with increasing intensity, causing frequent landslides combined with the impact of global climate change and rising sea levels, seriously threatening the weak dike system.

The ocean waves have — The waves have "swallowed" the Go Cong coastal protection forest belt ( Dong Thap ). (Photo: Huu Chi/VNA)

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tam, Deputy Head of Go Cong Dong Commune's Economy , discussed the situation of coastal erosion in the commune, which is very large, especially during the monsoon season, with an average of about 50m inland, causing serious damage to the sea dike protection forest belt and the risk of being wiped out.

Faced with that situation, the local government is very concerned, regularly monitors and recommends that the provincial level invest in hard embankments connecting from Vam Lang to Den Do using the central budget.

This project aims to reduce waves, create sediment to protect existing protective forest areas and gradually restore coastal land lost due to erosion.

In the 21.2km long sea dike in Go Cong Dong commune, there are currently about 7km of unprotected sea dikes.

The People's Committee of Dong Thap province has directed the Department of Agriculture and Environment to assign the Management Board of Agricultural Works and Rural Development as the investor and is preparing a report to propose the Central Government to invest in the remaining two sections with a total estimated investment of about 336 billion VND to connect the entire route to ensure the stability of the coastal corridor.

Without protective solutions, the protective forest belt of the Go Cong sea dike will be completely eroded in the future. (Photo: Huu Chi/VNA)

During a recent survey trip to Go Cong sea dike in 2024, the Prime Minister agreed to let the locality continue to invest in building wave-reducing embankments for the remaining dike section from the central budget...

Once completed, the offshore wave-reducing embankment of Go Cong sea dike will be closed, not only preventing landslides but also contributing to sedimentation and creating a beach for the locality to continue planting and regenerating protective forests to protect the dike.

Existing before 1950, the coastal mangrove forest of Go Cong in Dong Thap province, with a forest belt from several hundred meters to more than a thousand meters thick, covering an area of nearly 10,000 hectares, acts as a "shield," safely protecting the 21.2km long Go Cong sea dike.

The Go Cong sea dike protects nearly 63,000 hectares of natural land; of which about 43,000 hectares of cultivated land of the eastern coastal localities are included in the Go Cong freshwater project, ensuring the safety of life, State property and about 600,000 households from natural disasters and storms every year.

Previously, outside the sea dike, there was a protective forest belt with mangrove, sycamore, mangrove, water coconut trees... quite thick from several hundred meters to over 1km depending on the area, playing a good role in protection, dyke protection, disaster prevention and control during storms, high tides, protecting production and life./.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/bao-dong-tinh-trang-dai-rung-phong-ho-de-bien-go-cong-bi-xam-thuc-nghiem-trong-5059436.html