Adapting to Climate-Change-Induced Drought Stress to Improve Water Management in Southeast Vietnam

Phong Nguyen Thanh, Thinh Le Van, Tuan Tran Minh, Tuyen Huynh Ngoc, Worapong Lohpaisankrit, Quoc Bao Pham, Alexandre S. Gagnon, Proloy Deb, Nhat Truong Pham, Duong Tran Anh and Vuong Nguyen Dinh ()
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Phong Nguyen Thanh: Laboratory of Environmental Sciences and Climate Change, Institute for Computational Science and Artificial Intelligence, Van Lang University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
Thinh Le Van: Southern Institute of Water Resources Research, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
Tuan Tran Minh: Southern Institute of Water Resources Research, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
Tuyen Huynh Ngoc: Southern Institute of Water Resources Research, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
Worapong Lohpaisankrit: Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand
Quoc Bao Pham: Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Będzińska Street 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
Alexandre S. Gagnon: School of Biological and Environmental Science, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
Proloy Deb: International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), NASC Complex, Dev Prakash Shastri Marg, Pusa, New Delhi 110012, India
Nhat Truong Pham: Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Integrative Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
Duong Tran Anh: Laboratory of Environmental Sciences and Climate Change, Institute for Computational Science and Artificial Intelligence, Van Lang University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
Vuong Nguyen Dinh: Southern Institute of Water Resources Research, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 11, 1-27

Abstract: In Southeast Vietnam, droughts have become more frequent, causing significant damage and impacting the region’s socio-economic development. Water shortages frequently affect the industrial and agricultural sectors in the area. This study aims to calculate the water balance and the resilience of existing water resource allocations in the La Nga-Luy River basin based on two scenarios: (1) business-as-usual and (2) following a sustainable development approach. The MIKE NAM and MIKE HYDRO BASIN models were used for rainfall–runoff (R-R) and water balance modeling, respectively, and the Keetch–Byram Drought Index (KBDI) was used to estimate the magnitude of the droughts. The results identified areas within the Nga-Luy River basin where abnormally dry and moderate drought conditions are common, as well as subbasins, i.e., in the southeast and northeast, where severe and extreme droughts often prevail. It was also shown that the water demand for the irrigation of the winter–spring and summer–autumn crop life cycles could be fully met under abnormally dry conditions. This possibility decreases to 85–100% during moderate droughts, however. In contrast, 65% and 45–50% of the water demand for irrigation is met for the winter–spring and summer–autumn crop life cycles, respectively, during severe and extreme droughts. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that the water demand for irrigation could still be met 100% and 75–80% of the time during moderate, and extreme or severe droughts, respectively, through increased water use efficiency. This study could help managers to rationally regulate water in order to meet the agricultural sector’s needs in the region and reduce the damage and costs caused by droughts.

Keywords: water allocation; water use; droughts; climate change; Southeast Vietnam (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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