A major part of Hoi An’s coastline is at risk of erosion due to years of illegal sand mining.
Last Thursday, about 100 local and foreign experts gathered at a two-day conference in Hoi An to discuss ways to alleviate the town's severe erosion problem, reports VnExpress. The ancient town’s coast is only eight kilometers long, but the water has eaten as far as 10-15 meters inland along a two-kilometer stretch of the beach.
The problem has been caused by a combination of sand mining, falling river sediment levels and strong waves, according to a research group at the event. Dr. Nguyen Kim Dan of the France-based research unit Saint Venant Hydraulic Laboratory urged Quang Nam authorities to outlaw sand mining activities in the vicinity of the Thu Bon River and Cua Dai Beach to prevent further erosion.
Dan also suggested constructing a 6,500-meter-long embankment along the coast to combat strong waves.
The beach’s sediment problem is complicated and might require a combination of solutions. The group’s report shows that much of Cua Dai’s sediment is stuck in two hydropower reservoirs upstream of the Thu Bon River.
Downstream, an alarming number of sand mining operations and construction sites near the coastline have drastically altered sea currents, which has pushed the remaining sediment south, leaving the beach vulnerable to erosion.
So far, Quang Nam authorities have budgeted around VND70 billion for a new embankment – after a storm in 2014 obliterated the old one – along with new iron pilings and additional sand pumped directly into the eroded area. However, VnExpress shared that it will take another year to determine whether these solutions are sufficient.
[Photo via Lao Dong]
