Fishing boats have to wait for the tide, increasing costs for each sea trip
Not only Khanh Hoi estuary, Khanh Lam commune, Ca Mau, many estuary in Ca Mau province such as Nha Mat, Da Bac are also seriously silted up, directly affecting fishermen's fishing activities.
Records at Khanh Hoi estuary show that many sections of the channel have dried up, especially when the tide is low. Large-capacity fishing boats cannot enter and exit normally, forcing them to wait for high tide or rent supporting vehicles, increasing costs and affecting the time of sticking to the sea.
Mr. Tran Van Lieu, residing in Khanh Lam commune, shared that every time it is low tide, fishing boats operating snail traps are almost unable to go to sea. Many sea trips have to be postponed just because there is not enough water level, while this is a favorable time to exploit seafood.
Faced with this situation, Khanh Lam Commune People's Committee has proposed that the Provincial People's Committee and relevant departments and branches soon have solutions to dredge and clear channels to create favorable conditions for fishing vessels to exploit, transport and anchor. The issue was also reflected by voters in Khanh Lam commune at the 4th session of the 11th Ca Mau Provincial People's Council held at the end of June.
At Nha Mat estuary (Hiep Thanh ward), siltation also causes hundreds of fishing boats to lie ashore. Fisherman Nguyen Van Du informed that boats can only enter and exit when the tide reaches its highest level. In low tide, even small boats encounter many obstacles. There are many cases where they have to hire tugboats or transship goods by small vehicles from outside the estuary to the shore, which is both costly and potentially risky.
Meanwhile, Da Bac estuary is also seriously silted up. Many fishing boats have to switch to traffic through Khanh Hoi estuary to enter and exit, but this is only a temporary solution because this area is also rapidly silted up. Ship owner Phan Thi Bich, in Mui Tram B hamlet, Da Bac commune, said that having to change traffic direction causes sea trip costs to increase due to having to transship seafood ashore, even some exploitation trips are not enough to cover costs.
Dredging project cannot be implemented due to lack of investors
Answering voters' opinions, Mr. Huynh Chi Nguyen - Vice Chairman of Ca Mau Provincial People's Committee - confirmed that the siltation situation at Khanh Hoi estuary has been complicated recently, many sections of the channel have dried up, causing difficulties for traffic and seafood exploitation activities.
To overcome this, the Provincial People's Committee has assigned the Department of Construction to advise on the implementation of the Drainage Project combined with product recovery on the Cai Tau - Bien Nhi inland waterway channel (Khanh Hoi estuary). The project was approved by the Provincial People's Committee at the end of 2024 with a dredging length of about 4.9km, volume of about 377,000m3, total investment of more than 33.4 billion VND, implemented in the form of dredging combined with product recovery. However, after 2 public bidding rounds to select investors, no units participated, so the project could not be implemented according to plan.
According to Mr. Huynh Chi Nguyen, the Provincial People's Committee has assigned the Department of Construction to continue reviewing and completing the feasibility study report and bidding documents; and at the same time study adjusting some contents of the project to improve feasibility and attract investors. In case bidding continues but investors are still not selected, the province will study a plan to use the State budget to implement the project according to regulations.
Early dredging of the sea mouth channel will help fishermen travel safely, maintain fishery logistics and promote the local marine economy.
