For a healthy ocean

Since May, ocean debris has been relentlessly attacking beaches in Ba Ria-Vung Tau. Local authorities are calling for collective efforts to protect the environment and clean up the sea to safeguard the "health" of the ocean.

Officials and workers from Baria Serece Port, Phu My 1 Industrial Park, participated in collecting ocean waste at Bai Truoc beach (Vung Tau City).

The ocean is writhing under the weight of pollution.

For the past 10 days, the beaches in Vung Tau have been subjected to massive amounts of ocean debris every day. Workers from the Vung Tau Urban Environmental Services and Construction Joint Stock Company (VESCO) have been working from 5 am to late evening daily to rake and remove the waste, which mostly consists of water hyacinth, dry branches, plastic bags, and styrofoam containers.

According to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hau, Deputy General Director of VESCO, VESCO collects an average of 40-50 tons of ocean waste per day. On some days, the amount reaches hundreds of tons, many times more than the ocean waste collection cycle in previous years. Mr. Hau added that after the first rains of the season in the Southern region, the southwest winds arrive, bringing ocean waste from the estuaries of Can Gio, Dong Nai , and the Mekong Delta provinces to Vung Tau beaches. This year, even at the beginning of the rainy season, dozens of kilometers of Bai Truoc, Bai Dau, and Bai Dua beaches are already covered in ocean waste.

"Normally, Vung Tau experiences 2 to 3 waves of ocean debris washing ashore each year, each lasting from 3-4 days to a week at the fastest. However, in recent years, ocean debris has not followed any pattern. The amount of debris flooding in has increased significantly, lasting persistently from May to October, and getting worse each year," Mr. Hau said.

Earlier in May, Binh Chau beach (Xuyen Moc district) was overwhelmed by a massive amount of trash washed ashore from the sea. All kinds of waste, from plastic bottles and styrofoam containers to old fishing nets and plastic bags, lay scattered along hundreds of meters of the embankment, mixed with seaweed and sand. Mr. Huynh Van Thanh, a resident of Binh Hoa hamlet, Binh Chau commune, said that in previous years, Binh Chau beach had also experienced waves of ocean trash, but never before had so much trash washed ashore as this year.

The Bình Châu commune authorities, along with the Xuyên Mộc district, mobilized local forces such as militia, youth union members, and various organizations to carry out the "Beach Cleanup" campaign. Mechanical equipment such as excavators and dump trucks were also deployed to collect the large and bulky amount of waste.

Community collaboration is needed.

Faced with the reality of ocean waste encroaching on the sea, local authorities have implemented many solutions in recent years to improve the situation. For example, in Vung Tau City, the authorities have banned eating, drinking, and littering on beaches and public areas. However, regarding the amount of ocean waste that washes ashore, currently only organized collection is being implemented, and no more feasible solutions have been found.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Vung Tau City, emphasized that although VESCO has mobilized all its resources to collect the waste, the sheer volume is overwhelming. Vung Tau City continues to call for the cooperation and collaboration of clubs and volunteer groups to participate in cleaning up ocean waste and beaches in the area. “In the long term, we are researching mechanization options for ocean waste collection to reduce manual labor. At the same time, to reduce ocean waste, we need the cooperation of the entire community, saying no to dumping waste into the sea,” Ms. Huong said.

According to Mr. Pham Quoc Dang, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, protecting the health of the ocean is not the responsibility of any one individual or unit, but requires the joint efforts and involvement of the entire community inside and outside the province, and even people from neighboring countries with coastlines. In particular, there needs to be a unified understanding and action, a responsible approach to the sea and ocean, not pursuing short-term economic benefits while neglecting environmental protection. At the same time, effective implementation of appropriate strategies and policies is necessary to reduce ocean plastic waste, conserve biodiversity, and restore marine ecosystems.

Text and photos: QUANG VU

Source: https://baobariavungtau.com.vn/kinh-te/202506/huong-ung-ngay-dai-duong-the-gioi-86-tuan-le-bien-va-hai-dao-viet-nam-vi-mot-dai-duong-khoe-manh-1044624/