Discuss investment solutions for construction of coastal protection works

In recent years, under the impact of climate change, the phenomenon of high tides and storms and floods has increased in intensity. Therefore, it has caused serious coastal erosion and landslides in Binh Thuan province.

Increased coastal erosion

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the entire province is currently experiencing erosion of about 26/192 km, with some places experiencing sea erosion nearly 100 m deep into the shore. For example, in the Ham Tien - Mui Ne area, compared to the 2006 coastline, the sea has eroded from 20 - 50 m. The cause of erosion is determined to be mainly due to high tides combined with large waves. Notably, in recent years, coastal erosion has mainly occurred in localities such as Tuy Phong, Phan Thiet, Ham Thuan Nam, La Gi town and Ham Tan district. Of which, the largest erosion area is in Phan Thiet with 8.6 km and Tuy Phong with 8 km.

Coastal erosion in Phan Thiet.

Temporary wave-blocking embankment in Ham Tien - Mui Ne area.

Regarding this content, recently the Union of Science and Technology Associations coordinated with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to organize a workshop on "Investment solutions for constructing coastal protection works in tourist areas in the province", with the participation of leaders of the Provincial People's Committee, a number of institutes, schools, scientists, departments, branches, localities and related units.

At the workshop, Dr. Luong Thanh Son - Chairman of the Provincial Union of Science and Technology Associations emphasized: Binh Thuan has a coastline of 192 km, which is very important in terms of the province's socio-economic development strategy. The province has 11 large and small islands, of which Phu Quy Island has a strategic position in terms of marine economy, national defense and security... However, in recent years, under the impact of climate change, the phenomenon of high tides and storms with increasing intensity has caused very serious coastal erosion and landslides. To reduce damage caused by coastal erosion, in recent times the province has invested in many projects to build sea dykes to minimize damage. However, investing in projects faces many difficulties in terms of capital, technology, and techniques applied to sea dyke construction...

Provincial leaders and delegates visited the sea dike model display at the workshop.

Need fundamental solutions

Mr. Nguyen Huu Phuoc - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said that the whole province has built nearly 27 km of sea dykes, including 21.56 km of solid dykes (5.06 km in Phu Quy alone) and 5.32 km of temporary dykes. Particularly in the Ham Tien - Mui Ne area, before March 2018, mainly concrete slope dykes or split stone dykes were used. From 2018 onwards, temporary dykes made of geotube sand pipes were often used. However, the solution of making temporary dykes with geotube sand pipes is only temporary with a life span of less than 5 years. Therefore, a fundamental and long-term solution is needed for the Ham Tien - Mui Ne area.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Hong Hai (middle) and the working delegation inspected the La Gi estuary area.

At this workshop, delegates, scientists, and management agencies shared, discussed, and clarified the difficulties in building sea dykes. At the same time, they shared more experiences or practices in building sea dykes inside and outside the province to provide more information and propose some suitable models and solutions for building sea dykes in the coming time, contributing to the development of tourism and socio-economics of the province.

Accordingly, some scientists emphasized that the coast of Binh Thuan is very beautiful, endowed by nature. Over time, it has been eroded, threatening people's lives, coastal infrastructure, and sedimentation, making it difficult for ships to enter and exit storm shelters... The task is to readjust, in a way that respects natural laws, without harshly impacting the coastal strip. Along with that, scientists proposed a comprehensive solution of simulating a calculation model of the hydraulic regime, sand and mud in coastal areas, to arrange the most reasonable and stable coastline, with the least erosion and sedimentation causing great damage. Regarding the solution to prevent erosion in areas that are threatening people's lives and homes, it is necessary to carry out urgent works, preferably building soft embankments to reduce waves causing sedimentation...

Instructing on related solutions at the workshop, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Hong Hai also requested the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to study and specify the assigned tasks to implement coastal protection projects in the province. For the investment in building embankments to prevent coastal erosion, further research is needed. In the immediate future, it is necessary to advise and propose the Provincial People's Committee to pilot in-depth research in some eroded areas of the province. During the appraisal and licensing process, attention should be paid to technical solutions, design, materials, and supervision to ensure the quality of the project. For the areas of beaches and coastlines of the province, which have been oriented for tourism development, it is not allowed to use rockfill structures to build embankments. According to the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, coastal erosion is currently very complicated, so the task of protecting the coast is very difficult and requires a lot of funding. Therefore, the province hopes that experts and scientists in this field will pay attention, accompany, support and advise Binh Thuan to effectively carry out the task of preventing coastal erosion in the coming time.

Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/ban-giai-phap-dau-tu-xay-dung-cong-trinh-bao-ve-bo-bien-124632.html