Data exposes flaws in Mekong Delta resilience plans

A data story of shrimps, rice, and water

Originally published on the Third Pole

A farmer in the Mekong Delta pumps water from a nearby canal to water his land. Dykes and canals mitigate the impacts of water scarcity in the short term, but may be hastening the declining fertility of the region.

For generations, Vietnamese communities have used the ample water resources and fertile soil of the Mekong Delta to feed the nation. The fisheries and paddy fields of Vietnam’s southernmost region, fuelled by the Mekong’s constant supply of rich sediment, have long been the bedrock of Vietnam’s economy. But a combination of climate change and upstream hydropower are warping the region’s natural resources.

Not addressing the root causes of water and sediment shortages may irreversibly damage the delta, known as Vietnam’s rice bowl, as the country burns through resources that cannot be replenished.

The Mekong’s waning fertility

The Third Pole’s analysis used data from the Mekong Dam Monitor, a public online monitoring platform that measures climate issues in the basin using satellite imagery, GIS analysis, and remote sensing. The Mekong Dam Monitor also models the natural flow of the river — simulating what conditions would be without the impact of dams.

Comparing actual flow with simulated flow reveals that the river has lost a quarter of its expected water flow in the rainy season. Exacerbating the problem, rainfall has…