Participation at managed aquifer recharge (MAR) seminar

The Finnish-Vietnamese cooperation project “Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) to ensure sustainable groundwater availability and quality under ongoing climate change and fast economic development in Vietnam”, also called “VietMAR” is a collaboration between GTK, CEWAFO (Centre for Water Resources Warning and Forecast) and SIHYMECC (Sub-Institute of HydroMeteorology and Climate Change) (https://www.gtk.fi/en/research-project/viet-mar/). They invited CRMGG to their final seminar on 8.June 2023 in Hanoi. Participants from a range further stakeholders (e.g. Finish embassy, NAWAPI, IMHEN, water supply companies, researcher) learned about the activities undertaken during the 5-year project in Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh province, Central Vietnam. The focus was on water quality assessment and modelling of groundwater-surface water interactions to result at recommendations and guidelines for river bank filtration (RBF) and infiltration into sand dune areas.

Dr. Anke Steinel from CRMGG presented an overview of the planned MAR pilots supported by CRMGG in Hau Giang as well as plans for science-policy dialogue on MAR. In many presentations, it was emphasized that surface water quality in Vietnam is highly impacted by untreated wastewater discharge and that river bank filtration (RBF) or sand dune infiltration can help to improve water quality through the passage in the underground (i.e. natural attenuation) and hence decrease water treatment costs and increase water supply. RBF is already practiced by many water supply companies in Vietnam, but is usually not understood and monitored well. The demonstrated methods and achieved results from VietMAR could help to improve management and understanding of existing RBF systems and lead to an optimization in location and pumping rates of future RBF wells. In conclusion, MAR is a feasible option to enhance water resources in Vietnam, but further studies for successful implementation are needed.