HCM City (VNS/VNA)— The beginning of the rainy sea🐓son has worsened land erosion along riversand canals in the Mekong Delta.

The delta, the country’s largestrice, fruit and seafood producer, has reported a number of cases since May. In pastyears, landslides would normally occur only during the flooding season inAugust and November. Can Tho, dubbed as the capital of the region, has suffered 28 landslides this year, 13 more than in thesame period last year, according to its Steering Committee for Natural DisasterPrevention and Control, Search and Rescue. Theyinvolved 1,410 metres of land and caused 11 houses and parts of 65 othersto fall into the water. The scale oferosion and losses are also larger this year, the committee said. In An GiangProvince, a landslide each occurred along the Hau River and the Kenh 10Chau Phu Canal in Chau Phu district on July 22. Luong Huy Khanh, head of the provincial Steering Committeefor Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Search and Rescue, said peopleliving there had been forewarned and so there were no casualties. But hewarned there could be further erosion at the two sites, affecting 44 houses andtwo sawmills. Le Anh Tuan, deputy headof the Research Institute for Climate Change at Can Tho University, saidthe incidence of erosion increases as the season changes from dry to rainy. Excessivesand mining in rivers, changes in river flows and the severe drought during thelast dry season are the major causes of erosion in the delta, he said. The severedrought caused the soil to dry, facilitating erosion when the rains began, heexplained. In recentyears, Can Tho and provinces in the delta have undertaken many measures toprevent erosion and mitigate losses from landslides and relocated people livingin erosion-prone places to safer areas./.