France and the European Union (EU) have pledged over €32 million to invest in the Western Sea dyke and coastal anti-erosion revetment project in Ca Mau.
The parties have agreed to officially launch the construction of the Western Sea dyke, which will extend from Cai Doi Vam to Kenh Nam, and the coastal anti-erosion revetment, which will stretch from the Ong Doc River estuary to the Bay Hap estuary.
The total project budget exceeds €32.4 million, including over €19 million in loans from the French Development Agency (AFD), €3.7 million in non-refundable aid from the EU, and nearly €9 million in counterpart funding from Ca Mau’s provincial budget.
The project incorporates structural and non-structural measures to prevent coastal erosion, restore mangrove ecosystems, enhance the coastal management capacity of local authorities, and support local communities in responding to climate change.
In recent years, coastal erosion has become increasingly severe. According to statistics from Ca Mau province, between 2011 and 2023, approximately 6,200 hectares of land and protective forests were lost to erosion. This erosion has also caused significant damage to infrastructure, roads, and dams, destroyed large areas of mangrove forests and shrimp ponds, and endangered residential areas, forcing thousands of households to relocate after their homes collapsed.
To address this natural disaster, with support from ministries, agencies, and international organizations, Ca Mau province has completed 78 kilometers of coastal protection embankments at a total cost of nearly 3 trillion VND.
The province is coordinating efforts to construct an additional 25 kilometers of barriers for 1.041 trillion VND, including 18 kilometers on the Western coast (501 billion VND) and 7.6 kilometers on the Eastern coast (540 billion VND).
These embankment projects have significantly reduced wave impact, prevented landslides, reclaimed beaches, and restored nearly 1,000 hectares of protective forests. Additionally, the construction of dams has improved the visual appeal of coastal areas and stabilized riverside housing development, aligning with the challenges posed by climate change.