Channels and boat anchorages are silted up, fishermen are worried

In recent days, fishermen in Chan May - Lang Co commune (Hue city) located in Chan May - Lang Co economic zone have been worried and anxious as the Lach Giang river mouth has been silted up after being dredged and cleared many times. According to many fishermen in Binh An village (Chan May - Lang Co commune), the Lach Giang estuary used to be wide and deep. However, since a series of large-scale technical infrastructure projects along Chan May bay were built, the natural flow has been changed, causing the estuary to be increasingly seriously silted up.

Every year, the estuary is continuously silted up, the flow is increasingly narrowed, causing great obstacles for hundreds of fishing boats of Binh An and Phu Hai villages (Chan May commune - Lang Co). Especially in the dry season, when the water level is low, boats entering and leaving are very likely to run aground, posing a potential danger to fishermen. There have also been a number of waterway accidents at this estuary...

Channels and boat anchorages are silted up, fishermen are worried -0 — Lach Giang estuary ( Hue City) continues to be silted up after 2 times of dredging the channel.

Faced with the situation of mud and sand filling up the Lach Giang estuary, in 2016 and 2024, the Provincial People's Committee (now Hue City) and the Hue City Economic and Industrial Zone Management Board approved the investment policy for the Project (DA) to dredge the Lach Giang estuary channel with a budget of nearly 10 billion VND. However, after a period of use, due to the direct impact of natural disasters from late October 2024 to January 2025, the amount of mud and sand has now filled up again, making it difficult for ships to enter and exit.

Mr. Bui Van Cuu, Head of Binh An Village (Chan May Commune - Lang Co) said that Lach Giang estuary is often silted up. If there is no timely plan to correct, dredge and build embankments, fishermen's boats will encounter more difficulties in entering and exiting. At meetings with voters, people have requested local authorities to promptly study the current situation to find investment solutions to completely handle the silting situation at Lach Giang estuary. It is known that Lach Giang estuary is located in the planning area for the construction of ports serving the transit of container goods, tourism , trade and other duty-free zones in the new urban development area of Chan May - Lang Co Economic Zone, which has been approved by the Prime Minister in the Master Plan of Chan May - Lang Co Economic Zone.

Accordingly, the Hue City People's Committee assigned the Hue City Economic and Industrial Zone Management Board to annually allocate funds and have a plan to dredge the waterway and prevent sedimentation of Lach Giang estuary to ensure safety for fishing boats entering and leaving the estuary. In the long term, a rerouting canal will be built to replace the existing Lach Giang estuary to conform to the planning.

From the compensation fund of Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Company Limited, in Hue City, a project to upgrade fishing infrastructure has been implemented with a total investment of 400 billion VND, invested by the Department of Agriculture and Environment (DARD). In particular, the component project of Thuan An Fishing Port combined with a storm shelter area with a total investment of 220 billion VND was completed in 2023 and handed over to the management and operation unit in 2024. However, recently, fishermen in Thuan An ward as well as other localities have reported that since its operation, Thuan An Fishing Port still has some areas with insufficient depth for large fishing vessels to anchor, as well as to take shelter during the stormy season. According to some fishermen, although dredging has been implemented, it is still difficult for large-capacity vessels to enter and exit and there are potential risks of insecurity, especially during the stormy season.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, some locations on the shipping route and the anchorage area were locally deposited after dredging at Thuan An Fishing Port because the construction area was located opposite the Thuan An estuary and near the end of the Huong River outlet, so during the rainy and stormy season, the amount of mud and sand blown in by waves and wind from the estuary converged with the water flowing out of the Huong River, causing local deposits at the entrance to the route. Through inspection, the deposit area was about 150m2 and 5 local locations on the route, the anchorage area was about 350m2. Up to now, some local locations have been dredged and the anchorage area and the route have been ensured and ships with a capacity of 300CV can operate normally.

Similarly, in Vinh Loc commune, although the Tu Hien fishing port project combined with the storm shelter anchorage area has been invested, the waterway from Tu Hien estuary to the front of Vinh Hien market has not been dredged, and has been silted for many years, affecting the traffic and anchorage of ships. According to CAND Newspaper's investigation, in 2020, the People's Committee of Thua Thien Hue province (now Hue City People's Committee) approved the investment in the Tu Hien fishing port project combined with the storm shelter anchorage area with a total investment of 148 billion VND. Of which, there is a dredging item of 3 waterway sections with a total dredging length of nearly 1.7km. The project was completed by the end of 2023 and put into use, contributing to ensuring waterway traffic and preventing silting and landslides at Tu Hien estuary.

However, currently, there is still about 800m of the waterway from the front of Vinh Hien market to the boat anchorage area of Hien An 2 village that has not been dredged or cleared, while the project has now been completed. In order to ensure the safety of fishing boats, the City People's Committee has requested the local authorities to coordinate with the Border Guard force to organize instructions for fishermen and boat owners to take advantage of the rising tide (high water) to move in the waterway with deep water sources to ensure safety.

In the coming time, the People's Committee of Hue City will assign the locality to study and prepare investment procedures for the project to dredge and clear the boat anchorage area of Hien An 2 village and the long waterway section from in front of Vinh Hien market to the boat anchorage area of Hien An 2 village to report to the People's Committee of the city and relevant sectors for consideration and addition to the list in the medium-term public investment plan for the period 2026-2030 for the above items and as a basis for project implementation when resources are balanced.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/Xa-hoi/luong-lach-khu-neo-dau-tau-thuyen-bi-boi-lang-ngu-dan-thap-thom-i779562/