VTC reports on Mekong Delta drought and groundwater exploitation

VTC television reports on the severe drought in the Mekong Delta and on what support our project partner NAWAPI could provide to the people who suffer from both drought and salinisation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCixfaNflN0

As the Vietnamese authority for water resource planning and investigation, NAWAPI is expected to offer quick technical solutions for immediate relief. This includes increased exploitation, especially of deeper groundwater.

The IGPVN project understands the need for providing a short-term emergency measures, but we want to emphasize that the goal of our project is more long-term oriented: IGPVN focuses not primarily on technical exploitation but on effective protection, management, and sustainable use of limited groundwater resources in the region. Even at the current level of groundwater exploitation, water-levels are dropping rapidly in large areas, causing additional problems like saltwater intrusion into the aquifers and land subsidence. This shows that water management should be improved, especially when thinking about increasing the exploitation rate, as suggested in the video. This requires a better knowledge of the groundwater system in the region. NAWAPI and BGR are collaborating on the collection and  analysis of data as a solid basis for future planning, and are developing recommendations for the management of the groundwater resource. Here, the IGPVN project contributes expertise and funding. This objective is complemented by a wide range of public awareness and capacity building measures.