Part II: Environmental Concerns at Bau Trang

The dunes are growing and a new desert is emerging. The lakes are gradually being filled in and the water spread out, due to deforestation, unplanned development, and the resulting erosion. In the last 60 years, the lake depths decreased by an astounding 30 feet. Bau Ba decreased from a depth of 45 m in 1945 to a depth of 14.5 in 2001. Bau Ong decreased from 47 m to 22 m during the same time period. Without immediate steps to save them, they could be lost in our lifetime, and with them the resources the provide for fishing, irrigation and drinking water.

Bac Binh district (the center of the desert) has a negative water balance (rainfall = 1070 mm/year, while evaporation = 1345 mm/year). In the dry season from November to April, rainfall is virtually nonexistent, which is difficult for cultivating crops. During this period, the wind increases and humidity decreases; expanding the desert and drying out the land.

The Jakarta office of Unesco is reporting that a program for artificial aquifer recharge in Hong Phong, Bac Binh District, in the area near the White Sand Dunes, is under way. The program is sponsored by the Vietnamese Government, UNESCO, International Council for Science, and the Italian Ministry for the Environment and Territory. The process captures water which would otherwise be lost to run-off and evaporation, and infuses it back into the groundwater. There is an urgent need for such programs, evidenced by recent droughts.

Urgent environmental issues at the site include deforestation, desertification, soil erosion, degradation and exhaustion, flooding, drought and water pollution. The causes appear to be largely man-made through unplanned development, clear-cutting and poor choices of crop types. These issues have already contributed to local natural disasters. In 1996 strong flooding and erosion caused the loss of 50-60 homes, cattle and human life at one village.

Continue

• Part I: The White Sand Dunes
• Part III: The Binh Thuan Desert