Excessive and continuous extraction of groundwater in many areas has led to a serious decline in groundwater levels, causing land subsidence and posing a threat of depletion of groundwater resources.
According to research by the National Center for Water Resources Planning and Investigation (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment), groundwater levels have decreased at all measurement sites, with some areas experiencing severe drops, especially during the dry season in coastal provinces such as: Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, Soc Trang, Tra Vinh, and Ben Tre. The consequence is land subsidence occurring in the Mekong Delta region. High and widespread groundwater extraction has led to the depletion of groundwater resources, resulting in an increase in the number of extraction wells, longer irrigation times, higher costs, and reduced productivity. Furthermore, over-pumping of groundwater for agricultural and aquaculture activities has caused groundwater in aquifers to become saline.
In the Mekong Delta, monitoring stations show that groundwater levels have been declining over time at an average rate of 0.06 – 0.4 meters per year depending on the aquifer, with aquifers that are heavily exploited having a higher rate of decline, ranging from 0.3 to 0.4 meters per year.
According to statistics from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Bac Lieu Province, there are currently more than 93,000 drilled wells in the province. The localities with the highest number of wells are Vinh Loi District with more than 25,800 wells, Dong Hai District with nearly 16,000 wells, and the town of Gia Rai with over 15,800 wells… However, one of the concerns is that many people are overexploiting groundwater for production and living purposes, wasting this resource, especially in the case of drilling wells for aquaculture.
The reality shows that using surface water can help reduce the risks caused by these issues. Not only that, but using surface water to protect both groundwater and surface water plays an important role in the economic and social development of Vietnam. However, Vietnam’s surface water resources are facing many major threats, such as environmental pollution, the depletion of water sources, climate change, and pressures from economic development, increased water demand, and conflicts over water usage among industries and localities. Therefore, Vietnam needs to strengthen comprehensive solutions to manage surface water resources sustainably.
