The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment in conjunction withthe World Wide Fund for Nature in Vietnam held a workshop on June 26in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho to raise public awareness of theimportance of sediment for the delta’s natural resources.

According to scientists, the delta receives about 79 million tonnes of sediment every year.

However, the construction of hydropower plans and flood-prooffacilities together with intensive exploitation of sand and pebbles,deforestation and waste dumping in water resources have hugely impactedsediment sources, experts said.

The declination insediment quantity and quality has resulted in losses of 500 hectares ofland and an additional 30-40 metres of coast every year. As many as 265erosion sites are visible along 450km of riverbanks.

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Bui Cach Tuyencited the rapid development of hydropower resources and socio-economicinfrastructure in Mekong sub-region countries as reasons behinddegrading water quality, land erosion and biodiversity reductions.

The workshop created an opportunity for scientists to share experiencein effectively managing natural resources and sediment in particular.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmentcalled upon relevant departments, sectors and localities to promoteawareness-raising campaigns on the significant role and sustainablemanagement of sediment sources in the delta in combination withpreserving and developing submerged areas and ecological services.

Experts suggested enhancing inter-provincial and internationalcooperation in the field and including sediment management in thenational policy system while conducting in-depth research on sediment inthe Mekong river and preventing illegal exploitation.-VNA