Alternatives for Sakom River Mouth Improvement

Abstract

The research aims to study the alternatives to improve the Sakom river mouth, Sakom subdistrict, Thepha district, Songkhla province, in order to be the preventive erosion measures. According to the four scenarios of the future shoreline changes predictions in 1, 5, 10 and 25 years:The current scenario, the non-existence of 4 breakwaters in the west, the sand passing in erosion area and the demolition of all the coastal engineering structures including the jetties through studying of the prediction of shoreline changes by LITPACK module LITLINE. Coastal database such as waves-winds and sediment properties input data to find the shoreline changes and the area changes were used. As a result, the most practical alternative for this area was transplanting sand from the east shoreline of the river mouth to the erosion area in the west every 5 years to lessen the effects against the shorelines, the areas around the river mouth and the areas nearby. This is the reason why the shorelines turn to an equilibrium bay. By the 25^th year, the west of the river mouth is likely to reduce erosion from the maximum current situation of -30.48 m to -7.10 m and the current total amount of erosion around the changing areas is -19,379.82 m², which reduces only -6,417.46 m². There is a little deposition in the east of the river mouth due to the sand transplantation in the west. For the demolition of all the coastal engineering structures is the alternative that affects the studying areas most. The results of the study can be used as a preliminary way to improve the shoreline erosion of the Sakom river mouth.