Towards strategies for the subsiding Mekong Delta in Vietnam

Fresh water in the Mekong Delta is extracted from groundwater reserves by pumping and used for domestic, industrial as well as agri- and aquacultural purposes. In recent times the amount of fresh groundwater extraction has seriously increased. Our research indicates that nowadays extraction rates exceed the amount of natural infiltration due to rainfall or surface water. This results in a structural depletion of the groundwater reserves. We expect that the fresh groundwater volumes will further reduce as an effect of past and current rising mean sea level. As groundwater extraction will continue to rise in the foreseeable future, subsidence and salinization of the fresh groundwater volumes will continue as well. In this process the low-lying Mekong Delta will become even more vulnerable to natural disasters, seriously limiting future economic developments. Developing adaptation strategies that lead to sustainable solutions require a joint effort of many stakeholders: local, regional and national governments, industries and non-governmental organizations as well as research institutes.