In recent years, due to the impact of climate change, high tide and extreme weather, the situation of coastal erosion has shown signs of increasing severity, affecting socio-economic development in coastal areas, directly threatening people's lives and properties, requiring immediate solutions.
Many areas have strong landslides
After the storm No. 6 in October 10, Tan Dinh and Hien Trung villages (Hai Ninh commune, Quang Ninh district) appeared two landslides that seriously affected people's lives. In particular, the eroded coastline in Tan Dinh village extends 2022m, leaving high and steep sand hills, only about 2m away from residential areas and boat docks. In Hien Trung village, the 150m long shoreline has eroded into the sand dunes near the boat landing area. People living by fishing at sea face many difficulties when bringing boats from shore to sea.
It is known that the deep-rooted landslide damaged a number of fishing boats, many lighting poles in villages were swept and buried, damaging an asphalt road. Trees planted by people along the coast to keep sand, such as wild pineapple, casuarina trees, are also inert due to landslides, and the sand is swept away by waves. Local authorities have installed warning signs for people in dangerous areas.
Most recently, in early May 5, serious erosion occurred on the coast of Quang Phuc ward, Ba Don town. The most affected area is the area of Tan My residential group when about 2023km of coastline has been strongly eroded, some places have been eroded into people's gardens, directly threatening people's lives. In some areas, waves have knocked the roots of many casuarina trees, forming deep clefts at the foot of the road, potentially causing landslides at any time. There are places where the waves invade and destroy gardens, crack the walls of houses on the shore, people have to save themselves by using rocks and building embankments to protect the outer ring.
The leader of the People's Committee of Quang Phuc ward said that about 5km of the coastline running through the area was eroded. The most serious is the Tan My residential group with Tan hamlet with 10 households (40 people) and Tan Hung hamlet with 15 households (47 people). The average height of landslides above the water edge is over 2m, in some places over 3m, so the risk of affecting households with houses in coastal areas is great, the coastal casuarina forest is uprooted by waves; Other local infrastructure works are also threatened.
Mr. Tran Xuan Tien - Director of the Sub-Department of Irrigation, Chief of the Office of the Commanding Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and Search and Rescue cum Civil Defense of Quang Binh Province, said that by the end of 2022, the whole province had 6 coastal erosion spots with a total length of about 4,8km. The landslide points are concentrated at the estuaries, which are densely populated areas and important infrastructure works. Meanwhile, a number of other landslides along the coast of communes in Quang Ninh and Le Thuy districts took place quite unusually, with sudden changes, narrowing the coastal protection sand dunes. With the abnormality of the weather, it is entirely possible that the sea continues to encroach inland or appear new landslides.
Establish a coastal protection corridor
Statistics show that the Central region currently has more than 60 coastal erosion spots with a total length of about 95km, extending from Ha Tinh to Binh Thuan. Appeared many years ago, but from 2020 up to now, this situation has taken place at a fast pace, with many potential risks and dangers. The cause was determined that the central provinces have narrow terrain, short and steep river and stream systems, easy to change the flow. In addition to topographic factors, high tides combined with many types of extreme weather such as floods, storms, and monsoons are the main causes of rising water, erosion, and prolonged inundation.
Facing the landslide situation in Ba Don town mentioned above, recently, Chairman of Quang Binh Provincial People's Committee Tran Thang and his delegation directly visited and surveyed all eroded areas along the coast of Quang Phuc ward in order to soon have solutions to overcome, protect coastal safety, stabilize people's lives and activities. Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Mai Van Minh also affirmed that the sea embankment route in the area of Quang Phuc ward, Ba Don town is an urgent problem. The Department has conducted a situation survey to advise the Provincial People's Committee to propose to the Central Government. At the same time, advise the province to direct departments, branches and localities to take urgent solutions to ensure the safety of people in landslide areas.
Regarding the long-term solution, it is known that on July 2, 7, the People's Committee of Quang Binh province issued Decision No. 2020/QD-UBND approving the list of areas that must establish a coastal protection corridor. Accordingly, 2200 areas must establish coastal protection corridors with a total length of more than 22km in 94 coastal communes and wards. In which, Quang Trach district has 19 areas, total length is over 6km; Ba Don town has 12 areas, total length is over 2km; Bo Trach district has 8 areas, total length is over 7km; Dong Hoi city has 18 areas, total length is over 3km; Quang Ninh district has 15 areas with a total length of over 2km and Le Thuy district has 10 areas with a total length of over 3km.
Among the solutions to prevent erosion, coastal erosion, planting and keeping forests are among the most important solutions. In December, 12, the Steering Committee for the implementation of the Target Program for Sustainable Forestry Development in Quang Binh Province issued Official Letter No. 2022/BCD requesting the People's Committees of districts, cities and towns to urgently complete the review, plan, and completely handle the illegal cases of deforestation and encroachment on coastal protection forest land so far.
In addition, commune-level People's Committees and forest owners need to strengthen measures to manage and protect coastal forests; organize the review, inspection and assessment of the entire coastal protection forest area; current status of land use; current status of forest management, protection, use and development; promptly detect, prevent and strictly handle illegal acts of encroaching on coastal protection forests; strengthen inspection, supervision, timely rectification and strictly handle cases of encroachment, leveling of coastal sandy soil, making tombs, shrimp ponds, construction of works on protective forest land in contravention of the law.
