THEME 3. LOSS OF WATERSHED FUNCTIONS

Posters on Watershed Functions

Dry Season Water Shortage Control: A Case Study in Dong Nai River Basin, Vietnam

by Binh T. Nguyen¹

The Dong Nai is a major waterway in southern Vietnam. Covering 35,000 km² with a population of 10 million, this river provides a range of goods and services (irrigation water, drinking water, hydropower, freshwater fish production, sea water extrusion, etc.) essential to the economic development of Dong Nai province and Ho Chi Minh City, the country's economic hub.

Dry season water shortages are the biggest challenge to the future prosperity of the region. Currently, water resources management relies on large-scale infrastructure projects, such as irrigation and drainage systems, dams, and weirs. But rapid urbanization and industrialization in the river basin have brought into question the long-term economic efficiency and environmentally sustainability of this approach.

This paper examines the technical and legal issues associated with increased dry season water supply through improved soil and water conservation practices (e.g., grass strips, terraces), the rehabilitation and maintenance of irrigation and drainage systems, and the establishment of a water market.

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¹ Master's student in conservation biology, University of Minnesota. Email: nguy0654@tc.umn.edu