Coastal erosion causes damage to crops, narrows production land; Thanh Hai people hope for solid embankments.

Worry about crop failure before the next high tides

The coastal erosion situation in Thanh Hai commune has been complicated for many years, large waves have damaged dykes, flooded crops, threatening people's livelihoods. Although the government and people have urgently responded, the fear of damage is still present in the erosion at the end of October.

We came to Mr. Ho Le Dong's 5,000m2 cassava field when the water had receded, leaving withered beds, withered leaves, and cassava tubers turning black underground. Mr. Dong said that traders have not yet come to survey, he does not know if cassava can be sold or not, and what the price will be if bought.

Not only worried about crop damage, Mr. Dong is also uneasy about the dyke that has just been temporarily reinforced. According to him, the dyke is currently quite fragile, making it difficult to ensure safety if high tides continue to rise and sea waves flood in.

Mr. Dong recalled that in 2024, his family's watermelon field was also flooded, this place was once landslide, causing damage. The old worry has not subsided, now facing the risk of recurrence, he hopes the State will soon invest in solid embankments so that people can feel secure in production.

Sharing the same worry, farmer Anh Hao sadly watched 5 hectares of sweet potatoes damaged by flooding. Anh Hao said that this sweet potato crop is considered to have damaged about 70 - 80 million VND.

I just hope to soon have a sufficiently solid coastal protection project to feel secure in production. Because building temporary embankments whenever an incident occurs is only a temporary solution, and cannot protect land and crops in the long term," farmer Anh Hao added.

Proposal for long-term landslide prevention solutions

Born and raised in the locality, Mr. Vo Van Son (54 years old) could not help but feel heartbroken when witnessing his family's land being eroded by the sea for many years. From an initial area of about 7,000m2, the remaining land is increasingly shrinking due to sea waves continuously eroding deep into the shore.

Mr. Son said that because the sea was too severely eroded, he could not continue production, so he had to sell the remaining land and use the money to buy land inside to build a house. According to him, this is an unfortunate choice to find a safer place.

The people's wish is for the State to invest in a solid embankment to protect land and help people feel secure in production," Mr. Son expressed.

Discussing this issue, Chairman of Thanh Hai Commune People's Committee Phan Van Binh said that on the afternoon of October 27, a 170m long landslide affected 9 households, causing damage to 1.71ha of crops. The initial total loss is about 400 million VND, and the locality has urgently mobilized forces to overcome it.

However, according to Mr. Binh, temporary remedial solutions cannot completely handle the risk of erosion when sea waves continue to develop complicatedly. Previously, the Con Loi underground wave reduction embankment project with a total investment of 29 billion VND had shown positive effects.

From the effectiveness of this project, the Chairman of Thanh Hai Commune People's Committee said that he will continue to propose to the province to survey and consider supporting investment capital for a solid embankment in the eroded area.

This is a fundamental solution to protect land and crops, limit damage and help people feel secure in production," Mr. Binh added.

Source - https://news.laodong.vn