Lots of bumps on the dike surface, bunkers at the foot of the dike

In early April 2024, Giao thong Newspaper reporters traveled on a nearly ten-kilometer long sea dike road through Hai Chinh, Hai Trieu, and Hai Hoa communes (Hai Hau district) and noted that there were continuously raised areas of the road surface about 20-30cm high, making it very difficult for vehicles to pass.

Along the dike outside the embankment adjacent to the sea, there are nearly a hundred unburnt brick bunkers, each bunker is about 4-5 m2 wide, with a roof made of corrugated iron or cement. Inside these bunkers are installed specialized water pumps.

These pumps are connected to hard plastic pipes with a diameter of about 11-14cm; one end of the pipe is extended into the sea, the other end is placed over the sea dike and then led to the aquaculture ponds of local people.

These hard plastic pipes will lie across the sea dike surface. People use materials such as concrete mortar, crushed stone, and base stone to bury the pipes, causing the dike surface to create spontaneous bumps that are dangerous for traffic participants.

"There are sections where every 3-4 meters a homemade hump appears. When riding a motorbike, you have to slow down and then slowly accelerate to get over these humps. If you are not careful at night, you can easily fall," said Mr. Trung, a local resident.

Confused about how to handle it

Talking to Giao thong Newspaper reporter, Mr. Tran Minh Phuong, Chairman of Hai Trieu Commune People's Committee said that the commune has a 3.7km long sea dike, inside the dike used to be a salt field, but now people have converted the production model from salt to high-tech shrimp farming.

Currently, there are over 300 households in Hai Trieu commune engaged in industrial shrimp farming. Due to the need to use seawater for shrimp farming, people have arbitrarily installed water pipes through the dike body.

According to Mr. Phuong, the commune has a culvert and a river leading water to the shrimp farming area but it cannot meet the demand for shrimp farming. Because the leading river and the drainage river are one, during the shrimp farming process, waste from shrimp feed and chemicals flow into the river over many years, causing the river to be polluted. Therefore, people have to choose the solution of building underground tanks near the sea to filter water from the sea into the farming pond.

"This causes insecurity for the dike and traffic safety for people traveling on the sea dike route. Especially during the rainy and stormy season, when there is a need for rescue, moving on the dike will be very difficult and inconvenient," Mr. Phuong admitted.

Mr. Phuong said that the commune has coordinated with the District Dike Management Department many times to make a record of this violation. At the same time, it has consulted with the competent authorities but there is currently no definitive solution.

Mr. Mai Duc Nghia, Chairman of Hai Hoa Commune People's Committee, said that people spontaneously placed water pipes on the dike body for a long time, and the authorities of the district and Nam Dinh province have also surveyed and inspected.

"The commune has given warnings, made a record of violations, and even dismantled them, but after dismantling, people continue to reinstall them. Up to now, there has been no solution to completely handle this situation because the need for clean water for shrimp farming is very necessary," said Mr. Nghia.

Mr. Nguyen Van Viet, Head of the Hai Hau District Dike Management Department, also said that people arbitrarily built bunkers on the dike slopes and installed water pipes across the dike body to bring water into aquaculture, affecting the dike system under the unit's management.

"The Hai Hau District Dyke Management Department has coordinated with local authorities in communes to make records. In some cases, administrative penalties have been imposed and the situation has been remedied, but not thoroughly. After receiving feedback, we will have a meeting with the People's Committee of coastal communes to find a way to handle the above situation," said Mr. Viet.