Abstract
Surface water resources in the Mekong Delta (MD) are under increasing strain due to unplanned extraction, pollution, salinization and climate change effects. As a consequence, groundwater has become an increasingly important resource since the 1990s. Nevertheless, in some regions the ongoing exploitation has reached the capacity limits of the aquifers, challenging scientists and decision makers in order to satisfy the increasing water demand in the MD. New groundwater exploration studies are often hindered by the complexity of the subsurface structure and the hydrogeological system of the MD, which still needs further investigations. Therefore, this chapter provides an overview of the hydrogeology in the MD in Vietnam based on recently published and unpublished studies. It interlinks Late Pleistocene and Holocene sea level change with modern groundwater resources and concludes with possibilities and obstacles regarding current exploitation and future exploration studies. Furthermore, the final section focuses on the role of groundwater for domestic, industrial and agricultural water supply in the MD and addresses implications for the future exploration and management strategies.
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Notes
- 1.
N = North, W = West, S = South and E = East
- 2.
In this text, the term aquifer represents a water saturated and relatively high permeable geological formation, transmitting and yielding significant quantities of water; an aquiclude is a low to non-permeable formation and represents a barrier for groundwater transport.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank the Center for Water Resources Planning and Investigation for provision of data from the National Groundwater Monitoring Network. Furthermore, gratitude is dedicated to the reviewer for the constructive comments contributing to the quality of this chapter. Many thanks are also submitted to Mr. Ulrich Gersdorf (BGR) for his kind support in designing Figs. 7.2 and 7.3.
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Wagner, F., Tran, V.B., Renaud, F.G. (2012). Groundwater Resources in the Mekong Delta: Availability, Utilization and Risks. In: Renaud, F., Kuenzer, C. (eds) The Mekong Delta System. Springer Environmental Science and Engineering. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-3962-8_7
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