Erosion has eaten away an average 50 meters of central coast along the city of Danang this year alone, destroying houses and forcing many residents to flee their seaside homes. Huynh Van Thang, deputy head of Danang Flood and Storm Prevention Board, was quoted by local newswire VietNamNet on Dec. 4 as saying that typhoons and flooding in recent months had worsened erosion along the city’s coast and riverbanks. Many houses along the coast in Hoa Hiep Bac Ward, Lien Chieu District, were felled by the land loss. The banks of the Tuy Loan, Yen, Vinh Dien and Cu De rivers in the city lost an average 10 meters of land in each of the 2-3 typhoon-sparked floods to hit the waterways this year. Danang has built 44 kilometers of government-approved dykes along river banks and coast. But Thang said more dykes should be built and existing dykes improved to prepare for the impacts of climate change, which could push sea levels another 0.5 meters higher and bring stronger storms. He said the city should implement better emergency flood mechanisms and figure out ways to prevent heavy flooding upstream. The officer also called for more money and effort to be dedicated to improving weather forecast systems and networks to have all residents informed of floods 24 hours in advance of emergencies, instead of six or 12 hours as is the current average.
