Southernmost province seeks fund support against erosion

Ca Mau Province in the southern tip of Vietnam has lost 5,251 hectares to coastal erosion over the last 10 years and is seeking VND970 million (US$40,774) of aid from the state to build more embankment.

The Ca Mau People’s Committee asked for the money in a recent letter sent to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, saying that erosion is a big and increasing threat to local livelihoods.

The area lost to erosion over the past decade is as large as a commune in the province, the People’s Committee said.

Ca Mau has spent more than VND1.8 trillion building embankments that stretch more than 58 kilometers over recent years.

But given the speed of the erosion, the province will need to build another 132 kilometers of embankments, and it will need money from the state budget to do that, the province said.

Ca Mau spans more than 5,300 square kilometers, and is home to around 1.2 million people.

The agricultural province is aiming for an economic growth of 6.5%-7% a year and per capita income of VND77 million by 2025.

By An Minh – VnExpress.net – February 23, 2023