Dozens of workers have been working every day at the dyke construction at Hon Khoi Beach and Doc Let Beach in Ninh Hai Ward. These beautiful beaches have been dug up and badly damaged by the operation of heavy trucks transporting construction materials.
A local resident, Nguyen Bay, said that the dyke construction work had been going on for more than a month. He said that he and many other residents were worried that the dyke would hinder the operation of their fishing boats and especially spoil the scenery of Hon Khoi and Doc Let beaches.
In his recent letter sent to the Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee, Vu Thanh Ca, former Director of the Vietnam Institute of Seas and Islands also expressed concerns about the bad impact of the dyke project on the scenery and environment of Doc Let Beach.
According to the expert, the project will bring more harm than benefits to Doc Let Beach.
“Doc Let has fine sand that can disperse 90 percent of water wave power while a dyke can only do between 20-50 percent," he said. "The dyke will even make the waves stronger and cause more erosion in the future."
Ca said that the waves combining with high tide in winter may cause erosion at Doc Let beach but then summer waves will bring back sand to the shore.
“We’ve seen this process for thousands of years," he said. "So there's no reason to carry out a project that will bring more harm than benefits."
The expert also warned that the dyke may soon be destroyed by the waves due to it being constructed on a sandy foundation.
"We can see many of such dykes built at the beaches in Mui Ne in Phan Thiet City, and Cua Dai and An Bang in Hoi An City," he said. "They‘ve all been damaged a short time after being built. And now what has been left is just a mess and loss of our beautiful beaches."
According to the Ninh Hoa Commune People's Committee, the 727-metre-long sea dyke project in Ninh Hai Ward, which has a total investment of VND 88 billion (USD 3.82 million), aims at preventing erosion at local beaches and protect people's houses during the storm and flooding season.
Speaking about concerns of local people and experts, chairman of Ninh Hoa Commune People's Committee, Nguyen Vinh Thanh, said that rising tide had affected the lives of many people for many years and the situation had recently become more serious due to climate change.
“We can’t compare a life-saving project and its impact on the beach’s appearance," the official said. "We’re doing the same work as what has been done with Nha Trang, and Dai Lanh beaches."