Over recent days, under the impacts of an intensified cold front, strong winds, heavy rough seas, high waves and rising sea-levels, devastating erosion has occurred along coastal streets in Son Tra and Ngu Hanh Son districts, posing an immediate threat to Da Nang’s urban face and causing seaside buildings to suffer from subsidence and structural damages.

A part of Son Thuy Beach in Hoa Hai Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District hard hit by erosion

Erosion and land subsidence have taken their toll on some coastal areas in Da Nang, especially areas opposite the intersection of Le Van Thu and Vo Nguyen Giap streets in Man Thai Ward, Son Tra District, swimming area T18 in My An Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District, Son Thuy Beach in Hoa Hai Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District, and venues near tourist complexes north of Son Thuy Beach and south of Non Nuoc Beach.

Also, a part of the embankment erected by a tourist site south of the Non Nuoc Beach in Hoa Hai Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District was worn away by wave action and tidal currents, exposing the steel bars inside the structure and creating deep waterholes on the beach.

A section of the pavement of Vo Nguyen Giap coastal street collapsed

According to domestic experts and scientists, a vast coastal area stretching from the Son Tra Peninsula to the border with Quang Nam Province is vulnerable to seasonal variation of morphology and sediment movement.

Simply put, during the strong northeast monsoon season, this area usually braces for coastal erosion, but in the southwest monsoon season, sea waves carry sand onshore again.

In the coming time, heed will be paid to fortifying the embankment on beaches on the verge of collapse with a large volume of stones and sandbags, in order to prevent seawater from further encroaching onto land. Also, warning signs will be placed at erosion-ravaged areas in order to ensure the ultimate safety of local residents and tourists.

By HOANG HIEP- Translated by A.T