Vietnam says ‘urgent measures’ needed to combat Mekong Delta erosion

Six provinces in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region have been scrambling to battle the severe erosion of the sprawling river and coastal network, with some areas now requiring “urgent measures”, state media said on Tuesday.

The provinces, Long An, An Giang, Dong Thap, Ben Tre, Soc Trang and Ca Mau, have either declared emergencies or cordoned off long stretches of land on the Mekong’s edge because of the erosion, the official Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

“In Ca Mau Province, more than 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) of rivers need urgent measures,” VNA said of one of the affected areas, 250 kilometers (155 miles) southwest of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s main business hub.

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