Vietnam - Improvement of Groundwater Protection (Integrated Coastal Management IV)
Country / Region: Vietnam / South East Asia
Focal Point: Groundwater
Begin of project: July 1, 2017
End of project: June 30, 2022
Status of project: November 22, 2021
Project supported water supply station for Tan Trung Commune, Ca Mau Province
Source: BGR
Groundwater is an important yet vulnerable source for water supply and other uses in Vietnam. This holds especially true for the Mekong Delta, home of 17 Million people and the most important agricultural region of the country. Inadequate land-use practices add to the effects of climate change and threaten the existence of the delta as an economic and social hub. Water resources development for irrigation and aquaculture accelerates the salinization and degradation of surface waters, soils and aquifers. With land-use reaching unprecedented levels of intensification, the delta is becoming increasingly vulnerable to drought periods and salinization, and up-stream water development and regulation as well as surface water sand mining exacerbates this effect. Groundwater forms a key element in adapting water supply to these changing conditions. At the same time, groundwater resources are already over-used in many places and cannot sustain increased development on a permanent basis. This is particularly the case in coastal areas away from the Mekong main streams, which are seasonally dependent on local water resources. Here, over-pumping from aquifers potentially leads to saltwater intrusion. Groundwater extraction may also accelerate land subsidence processes, thus adding to increased vulnerability of the low-lying Mekong Delta to flooding.
The project aims at strengthening groundwater protection and management in the context of climate change and socio-economic development of the Mekong Delta. In partnership with national sector institutions and local environmental authorities in selected coastal Mekong provinces, the project:
- facilitates the application and improved implementation of regulatory measures for groundwater protection in selected provinces,
- supports the compilation of information and data on groundwater resources, including the establishment and upgrading of monitoring networks,
- assists in the utilization of data for decision-making in water resources planning and water supply, and
- builds awareness among groundwater users and decision-makers, and fosters networking between academia and groundwater management actors.
The regional focus of the project are the coastal provinces of Ca Mau and Soc Trang, and, from 2020 onward, the province of Bac Lieu. The project forms part of the overall German development program on “Integrated Coastal Management in the Mekong Region”.
Project contributions:
Literature:
Fact sheet of the project: Improvement of Groundwater Protection in Vietnam (PDF, 2 MB)
Partner:
National Center for Water Resources Planning and Investigation (NAWAPI), subordinate to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) in Hanoi. On provincial level the project cooperates with the Departments of Natural Resources and Environment (DONRE).