Special Session on the Mekong Region

According to the research from Mekong River Commission (MRC), the effects of climate change over Mekong basin are obvious with rising temperatures and changes in the intensity of rainfall, river flow, floods, and droughts are destroying homes, infrastructure, crops and fisheries. Monitored rainfall and weather data of showed that Lower Mekong Basin and especially Mekong delta is experiencing a more immediate and short-term changes in weather patterns, natural disasters with consequences for water and natural resources management. More than half of the Mekong delta in Vietnam coastline is continuously eroded; Salinity intrusion and drought occurring with increasing frequency and intensity. Water shortages and scarcity due to saline intrusion have become a major challenge threatening the sustainability of the delta and its inhabitants. The session introduces results from different project/case study linking climate-nature-human conditions shaping the current challenges of the water security of Mekong delta. Case study presentations will show the underlying aspects of each of the challenge, propose immediate and long-term solutions (on planning decision) and offer future perspective for water related management at the Mekong delta in the context of climate change and upstream development.

• Le Xuan, Tu; Tran Ba, Hoang; Duc Dang, Thanh; Tran Anh, Duong: Salinity, wind and wave effects on sediment transport at Mekong River Estuaries
• Hung, Tran Thai: Research on Local Water Storage Solutions to Irrigate Fruit Trees in Droughty and Salty Conditions in the Mekong Delta
• Nguyen Nguyet Minh; Tran Ba Hoang; Dinh Cong San: Mekong delta shoreline response to changing human intervention based on numerical model
• Vo Quoc Thanh: A sediment budget for the Mekong Delta using a process-based model
• Dinh Phuong Trang; Marcel Marchand: FEWS – AMD: An operational salinity forecasting and water quality data knowledge platform in Ben Tre and Tra Vinh Provinces, Vietnam
• Nguyen Nghia Hung; Le Manh Hung; Dinh Quoc Phong: The Master Plan for River Training of the Lower Mekong: Needs and Outlooks

• Huth, Juliane; Ottinger, Marco; Apel, Heiko; Schlurmann, Torsten; Jordan, Christian; Grimmeisen, Felix; Heege, Thomas; Lam Dao, Nguyen; Chau Ngyuen, Xuan Quang; Kuenzer, Claudia: Catch-MEKONG – Saltwater Intrusion and Morphodynamics in the Mekong Delta: Status, Impacts and Future Developments. Results of a 5-year Research Project
• H. Stolpe, K. Brömme, S. Greassidis, V.K.T. Nguyen, Q.V. Trinh: Regional Planning in the Mekong Delta – The system: freshwater, saline water, and land uses determines planning questions – The R&D project ViWaT-Mekong-Planning develops planning support tools