Evaluation of the Impact of Drought and Saline Water Intrusion on Rice Yields in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam
The Mekong delta is Vietnam’s premier rice growing region, forming the livelihood basis for millions of farmers. At the same time, the region is facing various challenges, ranging from extreme weather events, saline water intrusion, and other anthropogenic pressures. This study examines how saline w...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/21/3499 |
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| author | Huynh Vuong Thu Minh Kim Lavane Tran Van Ty Nigel K. Downes Tran Thi Kim Hong Pankaj Kumar |
| author_facet | Huynh Vuong Thu Minh Kim Lavane Tran Van Ty Nigel K. Downes Tran Thi Kim Hong Pankaj Kumar |
| author_sort | Huynh Vuong Thu Minh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Mekong delta is Vietnam’s premier rice growing region, forming the livelihood basis for millions of farmers. At the same time, the region is facing various challenges, ranging from extreme weather events, saline water intrusion, and other anthropogenic pressures. This study examines how saline water intrusion and drought have affected rice yield in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD). Applying the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the maximum and minimum values of annual average salinity, we spatially examine the effects of drought and saline water intrusion on rice yields over a 40-year period (1980–2019). Our results highlight that 42% of the natural land area of the VMD has experienced increased drought occurrence during the winter-spring (WS) rice cropping season, while certain inland regions have additionally experienced increased drought occurrence during the summer-autumn (SA) rice cropping season. The Tri Ton Station, which has a significant Sen’s slope of −0.025 and a <i>p</i>-value of 0.05, represents an upstream semi-mountainous part of the delta, indicative of a rising severity of reoccurring drought. It should be noted that the yield decreases during the summer-autumn season as the positive SPI_SA increases. Salinity, on the other hand, is associated with SPI_WS during the winter-spring season. Our results highlight the need for improved evidence-based planning and investments in priority adaptation for both sustainable water infrastructure and to improve system resilience. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:33:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-42c5c487b7be49899d236bdb140bfeb8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:33:02Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-42c5c487b7be49899d236bdb140bfeb82023-11-24T07:20:27ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412022-11-011421349910.3390/w14213499Evaluation of the Impact of Drought and Saline Water Intrusion on Rice Yields in the Mekong Delta, VietnamHuynh Vuong Thu Minh0Kim Lavane1Tran Van Ty2Nigel K. Downes3Tran Thi Kim Hong4Pankaj Kumar5Department of Water Resources, CENRes, Can Tho University, Can Tho City 900000, VietnamDepartment of Environmental Engineering, CENRes, Can Tho University, Can Tho City 900000, VietnamCollege of Engineering, Can Tho University, Can Tho City 900000, VietnamDepartment of Water Resources, CENRes, Can Tho University, Can Tho City 900000, VietnamDepartment of Environment and Natural Resources, CENRes, Can Tho University, Can Tho City 900000, VietnamInstitute for Global Environmental Strategies, Hayama 240-0115, Kanagawa, JapanThe Mekong delta is Vietnam’s premier rice growing region, forming the livelihood basis for millions of farmers. At the same time, the region is facing various challenges, ranging from extreme weather events, saline water intrusion, and other anthropogenic pressures. This study examines how saline water intrusion and drought have affected rice yield in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD). Applying the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the maximum and minimum values of annual average salinity, we spatially examine the effects of drought and saline water intrusion on rice yields over a 40-year period (1980–2019). Our results highlight that 42% of the natural land area of the VMD has experienced increased drought occurrence during the winter-spring (WS) rice cropping season, while certain inland regions have additionally experienced increased drought occurrence during the summer-autumn (SA) rice cropping season. The Tri Ton Station, which has a significant Sen’s slope of −0.025 and a <i>p</i>-value of 0.05, represents an upstream semi-mountainous part of the delta, indicative of a rising severity of reoccurring drought. It should be noted that the yield decreases during the summer-autumn season as the positive SPI_SA increases. Salinity, on the other hand, is associated with SPI_WS during the winter-spring season. Our results highlight the need for improved evidence-based planning and investments in priority adaptation for both sustainable water infrastructure and to improve system resilience.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/21/3499droughtsaline water intrusionStandardized Precipitation Indexrice yieldMekong Deltaadaptation |
| spellingShingle | Huynh Vuong Thu Minh Kim Lavane Tran Van Ty Nigel K. Downes Tran Thi Kim Hong Pankaj Kumar Evaluation of the Impact of Drought and Saline Water Intrusion on Rice Yields in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam Water drought saline water intrusion Standardized Precipitation Index rice yield Mekong Delta adaptation |
| title | Evaluation of the Impact of Drought and Saline Water Intrusion on Rice Yields in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam |
| title_full | Evaluation of the Impact of Drought and Saline Water Intrusion on Rice Yields in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of the Impact of Drought and Saline Water Intrusion on Rice Yields in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of the Impact of Drought and Saline Water Intrusion on Rice Yields in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam |
| title_short | Evaluation of the Impact of Drought and Saline Water Intrusion on Rice Yields in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam |
| title_sort | evaluation of the impact of drought and saline water intrusion on rice yields in the mekong delta vietnam |
| topic | drought saline water intrusion Standardized Precipitation Index rice yield Mekong Delta adaptation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/21/3499 |
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