President Truong Tan Sang hailed the importance of national sea dyke projects while inspecting one such development in the Mekong Delta provinces of Tra Vinh and Soc Trang on March 2.

The president stated that sea dykes help to control the tides, prevent salinisation, protect coastal property, support national security and reduce risks of drowning.

During his tour, President Sang was told that strong tides and waves have damaged thousands of metres of sea dykes and flood-preventing forests in recent years, causing property losses for locals.

Over the past two decades, the sea has encroached upon the mainland in Duyen Hai district, Tra Vinh province, by 2.5 kilometres, swallowing 6,000 hectares of coastal land.

Meanwhile, serious landslides have also been reported along the 22-km sea dyke in Cu Lao Dung district, Soc Trang province, which houses seven anti-salinity culverts and seven bridges.

Despite residents in Tra Vinh and Soc Trang provinces pouring tens of billions of dong into upgrading dykes, they have not found a way to prevent the landslides and sea encroachment – which affect crucial local aquaculture.

The Mekong Delta is one of the three most vulnerable delta belts that will face the backlash from climate change in the world.

It is forecast that by the end of the century, sea water levels may rise by one metre, submerging 40 percent of the Mekong Delta, 11 percent of the Red River Delta and 3 percent of coastal provinces.

On this occasion, President Sang also visited several families of social policies in the two localities and supervised the implementation process of the Duyen Hai Electricity Centre project in Tra Vinh province.-VNA