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…