Riverbank erosion severe, hundreds of hectares lost every year: report

Hundreds of hectares of land are lost every year to erosion along the Mekong and Heuang rivers, a report has revealed.
The extent of erosion, which is caused by weather extremes and man-made activities that have altered the course of waterways, is very severe, according to the report issued by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.
On average, at least 328 hectares of land are lost to erosion along the Mekong River each year.
Additionally, an average of at least 11 hectares of land are lost to erosion every year along the Heuang River, which runs along the Lao-Thai border. The Heuang river is located in Xayaboury province of Laos and Loei province of Thailand.
Climate change that causes weather extremes and human activities that have changed the course of waterways have exacerbated erosion in recent years.
Human activities include the exaction of sand and rocks and construction along rivers that diverts the flow of water toward riverbanks.
Erosion has not only occurred along riverbanks, but also on islands, the report stated.
Speaking at a recent meeting of the public works and transport sector, Director General of the Waterways Department, Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Mr Vanthong Bouttanavong, said that a number of embankments have been built along the two rivers and the tributaries of the Mekong.
From 2019-2021, seven embankments were built. One of these was a 530-metre embankment along the Mekong River on the border with Thailand, while another involved the construction of a 520-metre embankment along the Mekong on the border with Myanmar.
Two more embankments with a combined length of 1.92 kilometres were built on the Heuang River and another three were built to prevent erosion on three islands.
As of 2021, a total of 205 embankments had been built countrywide, with a combined length of at least 207 kilometres. However, this length represents only 37.19 percent of the total 558.39km that needs to be protected from erosion.
The achievements to date have been possible thanks to financial support from Laos’ development partners.
Mr Vanthong stressed the need for more investment in embankment projects to prevent further erosion.
To overcome the budget shortage, the director recommended setting up a waterway fund to source additional financing and increase investment, as well as raising money through public- private partnerships.

By Souksakhone Vaenkeo
 (Latest Update April 20, 2022)