The endangered delta

In the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam, about 18 million people live in an area that is about the size of Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Climate change and other human-induced influences are putting a heavy strain on this economically significant region of Vietnam, which is why the existence of the Mekong Delta is now threatened.

The intensive use of groundwater in recent decades has thus led to a sharp drop in groundwater levels and to a sustained landfall of up to several centimetres per year. The annual sea-level rise of about two to three millimetres caused by climate change is added to these factors. Another problem is strong erosion in the coastal areas. One of the causes is the construction of barrages in the neighbouring countries, especially in China and Laos, which contain sediments and thus restrict their transport to the Mekong Delta. This and the loss of the protective mangrove forests mean that, in parts, the coastal areas are eroded up to 50 meters from the sea each year. But the banks of the canals and rivers are also damaged by erosion. The existing water management of the surface waters is regulated with the help of hundreds of locks and weirs and serves as a basis for diverse land use (including rice cultivation, fruit cultivation, fish farming and shrimp farming) with their different demands on the salinity of the water. The combined effect of climate-induced seawater rise and local land subsidence poses an enormous threat to these systems. An additional burden on the regional availability and quality of existing freshwater resources is the largely untreated wastewater.

In the face of this significant pressure, the Vietnamese government has begun to redesign water and land use in the Mekong Delta. Various existing research and planning results as well as planned activities at the Vietnamese and international level are already contributing to this.

One joint project - three sub-projects

The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), together with research groups from the Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) and the University of Witten / Herdecke (IEEM), launched the interdisciplinary joint project ViWaT-Mekong to make another strong contribution to the sustainable improvement of water and land use in the Mekong Delta.

The work of ViWaT-Mekong focuses in particular on coastal protection, sustainable water management and regional water and land use planning. These topics are coordinated in three independent research associations that combine engineering, economics, geoscientific and planning disciplines.

ViWaT-Engineering (KIT) focuses on the topics of coastal protection and land reclamation, landfall, water dynamics and the identification of sustainable water resources. The aim of the group is the development of effective coastal protection measures and the assessment of local water availability and quality with regard to the use of alternative water resources to reduce landfall.

ViWaT-Planning (RUB) is about sustainable regional water and land use planning. The group develops assessment tools for integrated water and land use planning as well as recommended measures to avoid problems and conflicts concerning water quantity and quality management.

ViWaT-Operation (IEEM) focuses on water supply and wastewater treatment. The aim is to develop a replicable, financially and ecologically sustainable concept for micro-waterworks and aquaculture wastewater treatment.

Holistic problem solutions

Through the interdisciplinary cooperation of German research institutions and industry partners with Vietnamese partner institutions from politics, science and administration, the ViWaT projects contribute to finding sustainable and holistic solutions to the challenges of the Mekong Delta. The concepts, technologies and instructions developed in the project are intended to help protect land and water resources and thereby preserve the Mekong Delta habitat for future generations as well.

For the industrial partners involved, the project offers the opportunity to expand their know-how in the areas covered, to develop new products and technologies, and to open up new markets based on the close cooperation with the Vietnamese partners.