An increase in sea levelsover the last ten years is responsible for the disappearance of manybeautiful beaches and parts of protected forests in the central provinceof Quang Nam, which boasts a 125km coastline.
Sea waters are even encroaching upon coastal residential areas in Nui Thanh district and Hoi An city.
The commune of Tam Hai island in Nui Thanh district has seen seawaters encroaching by 50m in the last five years. As a result, the localauthorities have planned to relocate approximately 200 households fromthe most severely affected village, Thuan An.
Manyvillagers have migrated to the mainland as they fear the impacts of morefrequently occurring natural disasters, said Nguyen Tan Hung, a communeofficial in charge of agriculture.
According toHung, since the construction of 2km of protective dykes along the coastin Tam Hai commune in 2012, landslides have decreased and people’s liveshave stabilised. However, a 30m section of the embankment was damagedin a storm in late 2013.
The commune needs to expandthe dyke system by 2.4 km along the villages of Thuan An and BinhTrung, since sea levels have been rising encroaching upon theselocalities by nearly 10m each year, he added.
Risingsea levels and erosion are also affecting Cua Dai beach in Hoi An citywhere many high-end resorts are located. The sea is now only 40m awayfrom roads, and tides have eroded the coast to the extent that in thisarea some beaches have been swept away completely.
This is particularly difficult for resorts as they now have to exploreways to protect their assets from further encroachment of the sea.
According to Ngo Van Hoang, Director of SunRise Resort, in the lasteight years sea level rises and erosion have impacted on more than 200mof the property, forcing the resort to spend 1 million USD on theconstruction of embankments. However, the embankments could notwithstand the ocean’s high waves.
The increase insea levels has negatively impacted business for resorts as there are nowfewer beaches left for tourists, he revealed.
Together, resorts have invited experts from the Netherlands tosurvey the area and propose solutions, but the construction of a complexdyke system goes beyond their means due to its very high costs, headded.
In 2010 the province approved a 299 billionVND (14.2 million USD) project to prevent the sea from furtherencroaching on Hoi An’s coast. To date, only 714m of dykes have beenbuilt.
According to the province’s climate changescenario for 2020, flooding will mainly occur in low-lying coastalareas, resulting in over 306 sq.km being submerged.
The city of Hoi An will be hit hardest, with flooding predicted in morethan 26 percent of the city; followed by Dien Ban district with 26percent; Duy Xuyen district with 16 percent; and Nui Thanh district with15 percent.-VNA
Sea waters are even encroaching upon coastal residential areas in Nui Thanh district and Hoi An city.
The commune of Tam Hai island in Nui Thanh district has seen seawaters encroaching by 50m in the last five years. As a result, the localauthorities have planned to relocate approximately 200 households fromthe most severely affected village, Thuan An.
Manyvillagers have migrated to the mainland as they fear the impacts of morefrequently occurring natural disasters, said Nguyen Tan Hung, a communeofficial in charge of agriculture.
According toHung, since the construction of 2km of protective dykes along the coastin Tam Hai commune in 2012, landslides have decreased and people’s liveshave stabilised. However, a 30m section of the embankment was damagedin a storm in late 2013.
The commune needs to expandthe dyke system by 2.4 km along the villages of Thuan An and BinhTrung, since sea levels have been rising encroaching upon theselocalities by nearly 10m each year, he added.
Risingsea levels and erosion are also affecting Cua Dai beach in Hoi An citywhere many high-end resorts are located. The sea is now only 40m awayfrom roads, and tides have eroded the coast to the extent that in thisarea some beaches have been swept away completely.
This is particularly difficult for resorts as they now have to exploreways to protect their assets from further encroachment of the sea.
According to Ngo Van Hoang, Director of SunRise Resort, in the lasteight years sea level rises and erosion have impacted on more than 200mof the property, forcing the resort to spend 1 million USD on theconstruction of embankments. However, the embankments could notwithstand the ocean’s high waves.
The increase insea levels has negatively impacted business for resorts as there are nowfewer beaches left for tourists, he revealed.
Together, resorts have invited experts from the Netherlands tosurvey the area and propose solutions, but the construction of a complexdyke system goes beyond their means due to its very high costs, headded.
In 2010 the province approved a 299 billionVND (14.2 million USD) project to prevent the sea from furtherencroaching on Hoi An’s coast. To date, only 714m of dykes have beenbuilt.
According to the province’s climate changescenario for 2020, flooding will mainly occur in low-lying coastalareas, resulting in over 306 sq.km being submerged.
The city of Hoi An will be hit hardest, with flooding predicted in morethan 26 percent of the city; followed by Dien Ban district with 26percent; Duy Xuyen district with 16 percent; and Nui Thanh district with15 percent.-VNA
