Climate change and reduction in sediment supply and river discharge along Thu Bon river are the primary causes of coastal erosion in the central region, particularly Cua Dai Beach in Hoi An, experts said at the International Vietnam-Japan Workshop on Estuaries, Coasts and Rivers 2015 held in Quang Nam province on September 7-8.
Nguyen Trung Viet, Director of the Central Region College of Technology, Economics and Water Resources, said many provinces in the central region had not developed a comprehensive long-term plan for the sustainable development of rivers, estuaries and coasts.
Current solutions to coastal erosion were temporary and would not achieve sustainable outcomes, and might in fact do the opposite, causing erosion to neighboring areas, Viet said.
He asked for cooperation among scientists, businesses and provincial authorities to effectively resolve the critical issue.
Tran Dinh Ho, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Academy for Water Resources, together with his fellow researchers found that in addition to deforestation at the upstream, structural changes to the rivers, estuaries and coasts had a serious impact on the province’s socio-economic development.
Dr. Hirotada Matsuki, Chief Advisor of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), said riverbank erosion was one of the most severe problems in the rural areas of Vietnam, adding that the JICA had been supporting river management with the use of Japanese river engineering.
The workshop also covered a wide range of topics related to the impacts of climate change, coastal disasters and construction upstream to downstream estuaries and rivers.- (VLLF)
