International workshop on “Mekong Environment and Livelihood: The Changing Situation and Trans-

boundary Implications”, Can Tho, Vietnam, 3 – 4 February, 2010

============================================================================

Important role of water resources

in the Mekong River Delta’s agriculture
Le Anh Tuan1
1
College of Environment and Natural Resources, Can Tho University, Vietnam
E-mail: latuan@ctu.edu.vn

Abstract

The Mekong River Delta (MD), the most downstream part of the Mekong river, is
known as the biggest "rice basket" of Vietnam. The MD is 4 million hectares in size
and hosts 18 million inhabitants. Currently, 2.4 million ha are used for agriculture. In
the MD, agriculture and aquaculture has been developed quickly during last two
decades and distributed greatly to the national economic. Each year, the delta
supplies more than 50 percent of the nation’s staple rice and crop food, 65 percent of
the total fish production, and 70 percent of tree fruits for domestic and export.

Presently water-abstractions from the Mekong River are mainly used to irrigate the
rice and upland crops, curb salinity intrusion and leave acid sulfate soil layers with
sufficient wetness. The combination of the hydrological regime, sea, soil-type and
pollution poses original water resources management problems for irrigation. Current
seasonal limitation of water irrigation, the impacts of climate change and sea level
rise as well as the potential trans-boundary effects on the Mekong Delta’s
agricultural production are discussed in this paper.

Key words: the Mekong River Delta, rice production, water resources, threats.

========================================================================== 1
“Important role of water resources in the Mekong River Delta’s agriculture”
Le Anh Tuan, College of Environment and Natural Resources, Can Tho University, Vietnam.
International workshop on “Mekong Environment and Livelihood: The Changing Situation and Trans-
boundary Implications”, Can Tho, Vietnam, 3 – 4 February, 2010
============================================================================
I. THE MEKONG RIVER DELTA IN VIETNAM IN GENERAL
The Mekong River Delta (MD) in Vietnam, located in the tropical monsoon zone, is
an alluvial plain stretching from the border between Cambodia and Vietnam to the
sea (Figure 1). The total area of the MD is approximately 28,734 km2 (NEDECO,
1993). About 2.4 million ha of the delta are used for agriculture. Rice cultivation
lands take almost 90% of the agricultural land (Tuan et al., 2004). In 2003, there
were 600,000 ha of water surface in the MD used for aquaculture (Can Tho Statistics
Department, 2003). The Delta is very low and flat, with an average land elevation of
about 1.00 – 1.50 meters above mean sea level The Mekong river section in
Vietnam is 255 km long and accounts for 5.17% the total length of the main river
(Tuan, 2000). The delta has 18 million inhabitants in 2009, in which 8 millions of
labors are counted. More than 70% labors in the MD are farmers. Historically and
practically, the people of the Delta have settled and cultivated the land along the
river and canal banks. Human life, agriculture and aquaculture production, and
domestic water supplies in the Delta depend highly on the river water regime. The
Mekong River water is basic of life for millions of people to whom water provides
directly or indirectly the source of livelihood. The Mekong immense water resources
are one of the key factors for social and economic development in the region (Marko,
2004). Annually, the MD supplies more than 50% total rice production, 70% of fruit,
and 80% of fish production for the whole country (De, 2006). The MD is a really
biggest wetland area of Vietnam and is important for biodiversity conservation
Mekong basin (Tuan and Guido, 2007).

Fig.1. Map of the Mekong River Basin and the MD in Vietnam

========================================================================== 2
“Important role of water resources in the Mekong River Delta’s agriculture”
Le Anh Tuan, College of Environment and Natural Resources, Can Tho University, Vietnam.
International workshop on “Mekong Environment and Livelihood: The Changing Situation and Trans-
boundary Implications”, Can Tho, Vietnam, 3 – 4 February, 2010
============================================================================
The average monthly temperature of the MD varies from 25°C - 28°C. There are only
two distinct seasons in the Delta: rainy season (from May to October) and dry
season (the rest months of the year). The mean annual rainfall is about 1,600 mm.
More than 90% the rainfall amount occupies in the rainy season. Part of the Delta is
flooded during the rainy season. Salt intrusion along the 600 km-coast has degraded
soil and water quality, compromising the agricultural productivity and livelihoods of
coastal communities. In addition, an area of 2-million ha is covered by acid sulfate
soils. The MD is particularly vulnerable to climate change. The objectives of this
paper are to express the important role of water resources for agriculture, to present
the projected threats and to analyze the impacts to the rice production of the Delta.

II. THE IMPORTANT ROLE OF WATER RESOURCES FOR AGRICULTURE

Rice and fish are the major food not only for Vietnamese but also for many people in
the world. Since the end of the decade of 1980s up to present, Vietnam has known
as one of the biggest agriculture and aquaculture export countries. In average, about
3 – 3.5 million tons of rice and 600,000 - 700,000 tons of fishes are yearly exported
from Vietnam to the rest of the world. In 1999, 4.5 million tons of exported rice has
recorded. It is planned that, total aquaculture production in the MD can reach the
target of 1.5 million tons in 2010 and 2 million tons in 2020. This increase in fish
production and processing will also generate more jobs for local workers, with the
number of workers involved in this sector estimated to increase from 200,000 in
2010 to 250,000 in 2020(Vietnam News Agency, 2008).

Almost rice and fish productivity and export in Vietnam come from the Mekong Delta.
Agricultural and fishery products are considered as highest water demand fields. The
agricultural production currently consumes 85 - 90% of the total natural surface
water sources approximately. In some areas, paddy rice always occupies not below
than 95% of total irrigation water. Almost fresh water resources in the MD are
supplied by the Mekong River system and the local rainfall. To produce one kilogram
of rice requires 3,000 - 5,000 liters of water, depending on the rice variety and type
of irrigation used (MRC, 2004). Moreover, the aquaculture areas are increasing with
an annual rate of 4.1% (General Statistical Office, 2000) due they are being high
potential products for export on the world market as compared with the rice price.
The areas of rice cultivation have increased more than 100,000 ha yearly during the
period 1995 -1999 that has brought about high irrigation water demands.

In the dry season, about 1.8 million hectares of rice fields request to be irrigated as
roughly 1.1 to 1.2 liter per second per hectare. Otherwise, nearly 200.000 hectares
of perennial fruit trees and industrial crops in the delta need to be watered until the
soils reaches field wet capacity. Water use in the Mekong delta is approximately haft
part in a total water volume used by the whole Vietnam. As a result from the
irrigation systems extension and high-yielding rice varieties technical application,
agricultural areas increased by approximately 20% last two decades, however, total
production doubled. The rice yield of the Delta in 1996 from 12.8 million ton has risen
up to 17.5 million to in 2003 playing an important role in the contribution to the
national food security. In general, depending on the water supply capacity and land

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“Important role of water resources in the Mekong River Delta’s agriculture”
Le Anh Tuan, College of Environment and Natural Resources, Can Tho University, Vietnam.
International workshop on “Mekong Environment and Livelihood: The Changing Situation and Trans-
boundary Implications”, Can Tho, Vietnam, 3 – 4 February, 2010
============================================================================
use patterns, there are three major rice cropping systems in the MD, i.e. Winter-
Spring crop, Summer-Autumn crop, and Autumn-Winter crop. The specific water
requirement of these different rice crop regimes is shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Estimated water productivity of rice production in the MD.

Rice crops
Parameters
Winter-Spring Summer-Autumn Autumn-Winter
Total water requirement (m3/ha) 8080 7520 6500
Rain water available (m3/ha) 160 4000 7000
Irrigation requirement (m3/ha) 7920 3520 -500
Average yields of rice (tons/ha) 6.0 4.3 4.0
Water productivity (kg rice/ m3 water) 0.8 1.2 -
(Source: Nhan et. al., 2008, reproduced from Sam, 1997)

For serving the goals of the food security policy of the Vietnam Government, many
water resources projects have been established and implemented during last 3
decades. More than 3,300 billion VND (nearly 210 million USD) was invested in 105
irrigation projects in the Mekong River Delta in the 1996-2003 period, of which 60 out
of 105 projects were completed (Vietnam News Agency, 2003). At the present, the
delta has a dense river and canal system (Figure 2) that estimated over 7,000 km
length of main channels, 4,000 km on-farm irrigation systems, more than 20,000 km
of protection dikes to prevent early flood (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development - MARD, 2003). In average, the canal density are about 2-3 m/ha for
the main canals, 5-10 m/ha for secondary canals and 2-5 m for tertiary canals.
These canal systems are not commonly used for irrigation, drainage but also for
water supply, fishery, and local water transport. These water systems are serving for
more than 2 million ha of paddy fields, keeping the average yield of 4.5 – 5.5
tons/ha.

Since last ten years from 1995 to 2005, the aquaculture area in the Delta has
increased more than 2.37 times and its production has jumped up more than 3.68
times. However, this “outbreak” growing has put the water bodies on the threats of
pollution due to the asymmetry of water resources planning strategy in the present.
The aquaculture is releasing approximately 3 million tons of sludge yearly to water
environment in the form of untreated composting organic matters (Tuan, 2008). It is
estimated that in 2010 about 30,600 tons of nitrogen would be flushed into
surrounding rivers through pond water exchange (Nhan et. al., 2008). There were
5000 ha of fish ponds in 2005. These water bodies need to exchange 80 – 90% of
their water capacities weekly for keeping a good fishery water habitat.

========================================================================== 4
“Important role of water resources in the Mekong River Delta’s agriculture”
Le Anh Tuan, College of Environment and Natural Resources, Can Tho University, Vietnam.
International workshop on “Mekong Environment and Livelihood: The Changing Situation and Trans-
boundary Implications”, Can Tho, Vietnam, 3 – 4 February, 2010
============================================================================

Figure 2: Water resources map of the MD

(Source: MARD, 2003)

III. LIMITATION AND THREATS OF THE WATER RESOURCES

EXPLOITATION FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION
There are three water quality problems and two water quantity problems that are the
principal limit factors of agricultural production in the Delta (Tuan et al., 2004, 2008) :
(i) The salinity intrusion: There are more or less 2.1 million hectares of the MD
coastal areas (50%) affected by salinity during the dry season from
December to May.
(ii) The acid sulfate soils (ASS): Large areas of Long Xuyen Quadrangle
and Plain of Reeds and other scattered lands, cover 1.6 million hectares
(40%) of the MD are holding the soil with high iron sulfide content.
(iii) The polluted water: The Mekong river is facing more and more water
pollution by agricultural and industrial chemicals and domestic untreated
wastewater. In some places, this situation is threatening seriously the public
health and socio-economic development.
(iv) The shortage of fresh water: In the dry season, the average discharge of the
Mekong river is lower than 2,500 m3/s down to 1,700 m3/s. In addition
========================================================================== 5
“Important role of water resources in the Mekong River Delta’s agriculture”
Le Anh Tuan, College of Environment and Natural Resources, Can Tho University, Vietnam.
International workshop on “Mekong Environment and Livelihood: The Changing Situation and Trans-
boundary Implications”, Can Tho, Vietnam, 3 – 4 February, 2010
============================================================================
the groundwater table lowers by 2 to 3 m. This water amount is not enough to
irrigate nearly 1.5 million hectares of cultivable lands in the dry season. The
shortage of freshwater leads to increasing salinity intrusion throughout the MD
coastal provinces.
(v) The floods: Discharge of the Mekong River during the wet season averages of
39,000 m3/sec. About 1.2 – 1.9 million of hectares of the southwestern part of
the Delta can be flooded where farming becomes impossible.

Many scientists and international organizations have classified Vietnam, especially

the Vietnamese MD, as highly vulnerable to climate change and sea level rise (Peter
and Greet, 2008; Dasgupta el al., 2009; IPCC, 2007; UNDP, 2007; WB, 2007; ADB,
1994). If the sea level rises 1 meter, the Mekong Delta may lose 15,000 – 20,000
km2 of land, and about 3.5 to 5.0 million of people will be affected (IPCC 2007). A
combination of higher temperatures, lower rainfall, more extensive flooding and a
rise in sea level will impact significantly on agricultural activities in general and on
rice production in particular, adding more pressure to the livelihoods of people in the
delta area (TTK & SEA START RC, 2009). The solutions for climate change
mitigation such as watering to the dry lands in the upstream countries may lead more
salinity intrusion impacts to the MD in the low-flow months.

Another threat to the water regime of the delta is the existing and planned
development upstream dams, both in the main flow and tributaries in the Mekong
River Basin. A dam-reservoir-hydropower series will alter water flow regimes in the
downstream leading a strongly effect the present cropping patterns, reduce the
sediment source, block the fish migration and change seriously the ecosystems
where millions people culture rice and fish for their livelihoods. Industrial
development in the upstream countries may release the chemical pollutants for
riparian communities. In addition, if China and Thailand transfer Mekong water to
other basins, it will be a real warning to Vietnam’s agricultural production.

IV. DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Concerning agriculture production and water resources in the MD, it can be foreseen
that in the future (Figure 3):
• The rice and fish production, as well as other crops, will be reduced both
cultivation area and yield by serious droughts and floods in the future. A fall of
total production will threat the food security of the nation.
• Farmers in the Delta have to pay more money to pump water due to the
shortage water in their fields. That means their income from agriculture
production will be reduced.
• Rice farmers, fish and shrimp farmers, salt farmers and small agricultural
businessmen will be significantly impacted due to the lack of essential nutrient
sources, land ownership, financial sources and information assessment for
adaptation the water regime change. As a consequence, resources areas of
forest, land, water, wildlife, natural minerals… will be encroached, over
exploited and damaged.

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“Important role of water resources in the Mekong River Delta’s agriculture”
Le Anh Tuan, College of Environment and Natural Resources, Can Tho University, Vietnam.
International workshop on “Mekong Environment and Livelihood: The Changing Situation and Trans-
boundary Implications”, Can Tho, Vietnam, 3 – 4 February, 2010
============================================================================

CLIMATE CHANGE TRAN-SBOUNDARY WATER

AND SEA LEVEL RISE ISSUES

UPSTREAM DAMS

MEKONG DELTA INDUSTRIAL GROWTH

WATER RESOURCES EFFECTS

DEFORESTATION

WATER WATER WATER

WATER TRANSFER
QUANTITY QUALITY DYNAMIC

AGRICULTURAL LAND AND NATIONAL FOOD

PRODUCT REDUCTION SECURITY THREATS

POVERTY AND UNSTABLE

INCREASES
DIRECT/ INDIRECT
ENVIRONMENTAL & NATURAL
RESOURCES DEGRADATION

Fig. 3: Foreseen impact chain from climate change and trans-boundary water issues
on agricultural production and socio-ecological systems in the MD

There is an urgent need for research on climate change and trans-boundary water
cooperation and environmental problems, rather than only technical problems. This
is a critical issue that regional and national planners, policy makers, academic
scientists, businessmen, local officers and people in the Mekong River Basin have to
be aware of. There must be policy on information sharing and measures to adjust
national decisions.

Acknowledgement
The author wishes to acknowledge Can Tho People’s Committee, Can Tho
University (CTU), Vietnam River Network (VRN), Towards Ecological Recovery and
Regional Alliance/Foundation for Ecological Recovery (TERRA/FER), Thailand,
Save the Mekong (StM) Coalition and Oxfam Australia for their support to organize
the International Workshop on “Mekong Environment and Livelihood: The Changing
Situation and Trans-boundary Implications” in Can Tho University on 2-3 February,
2010.

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“Important role of water resources in the Mekong River Delta’s agriculture”
Le Anh Tuan, College of Environment and Natural Resources, Can Tho University, Vietnam.
International workshop on “Mekong Environment and Livelihood: The Changing Situation and Trans-
boundary Implications”, Can Tho, Vietnam, 3 – 4 February, 2010
============================================================================
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“Important role of water resources in the Mekong River Delta’s agriculture”
Le Anh Tuan, College of Environment and Natural Resources, Can Tho University, Vietnam.
International workshop on “Mekong Environment and Livelihood: The Changing Situation and Trans-
boundary Implications”, Can Tho, Vietnam, 3 – 4 February, 2010
============================================================================
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“Important role of water resources in the Mekong River Delta’s agriculture”
Le Anh Tuan, College of Environment and Natural Resources, Can Tho University, Vietnam.