Vietnam – Climate resilient Management of Groundwater and Geohazards - Improving groundwater management and mitigating geological hazards
Country / Region: Vietnam / South East Asia
Focua Area: Groundwater
Begin of project: July 1, 2022
End of project: June 30, 2025
Status of project: May 28, 2024
Vietnamese fisherman in the Mekong Delta
Source: BGR
The low-lying Mekong Delta is the home of more than 17 million people and is one of the world's regions most affected by climate change. Groundwater plays an important role in securing water supply and livelihoods, and is the main backup water source during droughts, especially in the coastal zones. Its importance is bound to grow further against the backdrop of climate change, developments in the upstream basin and inside the Delta itself. At the same time, these coastal regions are exposed to various geohazards, which are compounded by the improper management of land and water resources. These include large-scale land subsidence processes amplified e.g. by groundwater extraction and reduced sedimentation, but also erosion along rivers, canals and coasts, e.g. as a result of sand extraction.
In recent years, the Vietnamese government has begun to improve the conditions for climate-resilient development in the Mekong Delta. Following Resolution No. 120/NQ-CP on regional coordination and the pilot regulation 593/QD-TTG on the coordination of development plans, this includes, in particular, the landmark Mekong Delta Master Plan (MDMP) adopted in mid-2022 as well as its subsequent action and investment plans.
Building on the experience of the TC module "Improving groundwater protection" module (TC Vietnam: Improving Groundwater Protection in the Mekong Delta), which ended in June 2022, the current project aims at further improving the regulatory, institutional and technical requirements for climate-resilient use of groundwater resources and mitigation of geohazards in selected areas.
To this end, the project operates in four interconnected fields of action:
(1) capacity development for national stakeholders and provincial environmental authorities in groundwater management,
(2) development and piloting of innovative practical solutions for groundwater and geohazard management,
(3) support for partners in the implementation of strategies for digital transformation, and
(4) awareness raising and evidence-based, scientific advice.
The regional focus of the project is on selected (coastal) provinces of the Mekong Delta. At the national level and for local activities the project cooperates closely with other development cooperation modules to promote climate-resilient development of the Mekong Delta, in particular the Mekong Climate Resilience Program (MCRP) implemented by GIZ.
Project contributions:
Literature:
Projectflyer: “Climate Resilient Management of Groundwater and Geohazards – Groundwater in the Mekong Delta - a fundamental part for climate adaptation”
Factsheet: "Climate resilient Management of Groundwater and Geohazards"
Partner:
The political project partner is the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) of Vietnam. The implementing partner is the National Center for Water Resources Planning and Investigation (NAWAPI). Other cooperation partners are the Vietnam Institute for Geosciences and Mineral Resources (VIGMR) on the aspect of geohazards, and the local environmental authorities (DONREs) of the provinces of Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Soc Trang, Hau Giang and Kien Giang.