https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9779-713X
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ABSTRACT
Emerging climate-development processes jeopardize water supply, especially in the Global South. In the Vietnamese Mekong Delta, disrupted water flows driven by climate change and hydropower development have caused water scarcity, threatening agricultural systems in both upstream and coastal areas. Based on insights from desk reviews, stakeholder workshops and interviews with local informants, this paper argues that while grey (engineered) solutions take precedence in addressing water scarcity, securing water sustainability (water retention) for agricultural resilience demands integrated ‘grey–green’ (engineered-nature-based) solutions. This paper suggests demands for translating this approach into the water governance framework for the delta’s agricultural development.
Acknowledgments
The authors extend their deep gratitude to the participants involved in the study, and Dung Duc Tran for his assistance in the Mekong map production. The authors also acknowledge the Asian Development Bank Institute’s (ADBI) Virtual Conference on Water Resource Management for Achieving Food Security in Asia Under Climate Change, 26–27 October 2022.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes
1. The Kenh Lap reservoir was built in 2019 and has been the largest system in the VMD until the present. It has a length of nearly 5 km and a width of 40–100 m. For the sake of water retention, the two ends were cut off and turned into a reservoir. The Kenh Lap reservoir provides freshwater to about 200,000 people in Ba Tri district of Ben Tre province for their household and irrigation purposes.
2. Compartments of the North Vam Nao irrigation scheme (An Giang) were developed to control floods and provide water for rice production (muti-crop systems). The scheme spans two adjacent districts (e.g., Phu Tan and Tan Chau) of the province with 23 compartments. They are protected by surrounding high dykes together with sluices and a rich network of internal dykes and managed by a Compartment Management Board (Tran et al., Citation2020, Citation2021a).