Abstract
Ba Lai Irrigation Project is located at coastal area in the Mekong Delta. In dry season when the flow rate decreases and the strong east wind blows into the delta, the salinity intrusion increases and seriously affects agricultural and domestic water use. Intakes of Ba Lai system have to be closed for 1–3 months depending on their locations, and no water supply during this period often causes water pollution in the project area. In order to solve such problems, this study aims to seek gate operation procedures for salinity control and water environment improvement. A numerical model is developed to simulate water movement, salinity concentration and duration of remaining water (water age) within the system under three scenarios: (1) without control structures, (2) with available control structures, (3) with the full control structures. Through the numerical simulations, control structures are confirmed to be an effective measure for the salinity control and suitable gate operation schedules are proposed to improve the water environment in the project.
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Acknowledgments
The research described in this paper is supported by funds of the Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology (JST). The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to JST and Southern Institute of Water Resources Research for their assistance during the field survey and data collection.
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Hoang, Q.H., Kubo, N., Hoang, N.G. et al. Operation of the Ba Lai irrigation system in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Paddy Water Environ 7, 123–133 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10333-009-0155-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10333-009-0155-0