Bung River dike eroded, people risk losing production land

According to the reflection of the people of hamlet 6, Dien Hoa commune, Dien Chau district, for about 2-3 years now, a part of the Bung river dike bordering the commune has been eroding every day, the risk of erosion still continues when the rainy and stormy season comes, putting many rice fields of the people at risk of being "swallowed" by the river god at any time.

The Bung River dike is being eroded, affecting dozens of hectares of rice fields of Dien Hoa and Dien Chau people. Photo: Quang An

Leading us towards the dike that is being eroded every day, Mr. Vu Sy Luc - the head of Hamlet 6 worriedly said: "I and the people have reported this issue to the commune, and met with the People's Council delegates of the commune and district many times. I heard that there is no funding so it cannot be done yet. If this continues, this year the rice fields of the people closest to the riverbank may not be able to produce anymore."

According to Mr. Luc, the Bung River dike used to be about 4m wide, not including the foot of the dike, but now there are sections that are only about 40-50cm wide. After 2-3 years of erosion, about 300m of the Bung River dike bordering the people's production land has been eroded, making people extremely worried.

The Bung River dike is now gradually eroding, the water in the middle used to be a rice field but had to be abandoned because it could not be used for farming. Photo: Quang An

Mr. Cao Xuan Manh's family in hamlet 6 has a rice field area located close to the edge of the Bung River, about two or three hand spans long, and he couldn't help but worry: "Every year, the river dike is eaten away a little bit. If the government doesn't handle it in time this year, my family's rice field might disappear too. Equally dangerous is the little remaining width of the dike. If by chance a farmer or a child falls into the river, the consequences will be unpredictable."

Cracks in the Bung River dike threaten rice production safety. Photo: Quang An

Talking to us, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Giap - Chairman of Dien Hoa Commune People's Committee said: "The people's reflection on the Bung River landslide is correct. Hamlets 5 and 6 are the two hamlets directly affected. In this situation, the locality has also made a report to the district. Delegations from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dien Chau district have also come to inspect the situation. In 2017, Dien Chau district temporarily repaired about 150m of dike in Hamlet 5 with a cost of 300 million VND. The repair is very expensive, so the locality is also waiting for the competent authorities to handle it."

Mr. Cao Van Thai - Specialist of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dien Chau district said: "The Bung River dike through Dien Hoa commune belongs to the project of Upgrading and Renovating the South Canal - Bung River, invested by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development since 2012, but had to stop in 2015 because of lack of capital allocation due to the State's reduction of public investment".

The district is also very worried about the erosion situation on the Bung River dike, but the funding for implementation is not available. Regarding the handling direction, the district People's Committee will report to the provincial People's Committee and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to ask for opinions on handling, Mr. Thai added.

Clip: Quang An