Impacts of Climate Change on Water Crisis and Formation of Green Algal Blooms in Vietnam

†

To whom corresponding should be addressed.

Tel : +82-43-868-3573 E-mail : ahnjw@kigam.re.kr

Journal of Energy Engineering, Vol. 26, No. 1, pp.68~75(2017) https://doi.org/10.5855/ENERGY.2017.26.1.068

Impacts of Climate Change on Water Crisis and Formation of Green Algal Blooms in Vietnam

Thenepalli Thriveni

, Namju Lee

, Gnu Nam

, Ahn Ji Whan

1

Hanil Cement, 302 Maepo-gil, Maepo-eup, Danyang-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, 395-903, Korea.

2

Mineral Resources Research Division, Korea Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources (KIGAM), 124, Gwahagno, Yuseong gu, Daejeon-305350, South Korea.

(Received 7 February 2017, Revised 3 March 2017, Accepted 6 March 2017) Abstract

Global warming affects water supply and water resources throughout the world. In many countries, climate change affects significantly on the fresh water resources. Vietnam is exposed mainly, to landslides and floods triggered by tropical storms and monsoon rains, although storm surge, whirlwind, river bank and coastal line erosion, hail rain. In addition to the prevalent drought, there are many major water challenges, including water availability, stress, scarcity and accessibility, because of poor resource management. Fast growth of urbanization, industrialization and population growth, agricultural activities and climate change cause heavy pressure on water quality. Both domestic and industrial wastewater, as well as storm water shares the same drainage. The common facilities for wastewater treatment are not available. Therefore, wastewater is treated only superficially and then discharged directly into rivers and lakes causing serious pollution of surface water environment. In this paper, we reported the severe water crisis and massive green algal blooms formation in Vietnam rivers and lakes. This is the biggest evidence of climate change variations in Vietnam.

Key words : water crisis, water contamination, climate change, green algae

1. Introduction

Currently, there are several major climate change issues are challenging to the throughout the world.

Problems resulting from human impacts on the qual- ity of our environment. Climate change issues in- cluding, global warming, greenhouse effect, ozone depletion, aquatic environment issues such as water pollution, water shortage, ocean dead zones, water diversion, overfishing, air quality issues are acid rain, air pollution, nuclear ppollution, terrestrial en- vironmental issues are desertification, deforestation, soil pollution, waste disposal, mining and population

growth issues are habitat destruction, farming practi- ces, fertilizers & pesticides

. Based on this, the most serious problem is water shortage and water pollution. The distribution of earth’s water

repre- sented in Fig. 1.

In 2014, NASA released ground water storage da-

ta about worlds major aquifers during 2002-2013. In

the world, several major aquifers had water storage

declines (mm equivalent water height). The average

depth of groundwater level below the surface in qp1

aquifer of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

(Fig. 2a

and 2b).

Impacts of Climate Change on Water Crisis and Formation of Green Algal Blooms in Vietnam 69

Fig. 1. Worlds fresh water sources (adopted from ref.2)

Fig. 2a. Groundwater storage declines (adopted from ref.3)

Thenepalli Thriveni, Namju Lee, Gnu Nam, Ahn Ji Whan 70

Fig. 3. Urbanization in Vietnam (adopted from ref.5)

Fig. 2b. Groundwater storage declines in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (adopted from ref.3)

2. Ground Water Sources in Vietnam

Some researchers published on the water stress in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Vietnam is ranking the 12th most populous country in the world. Ho Chi Minh City is a rapidly growing with a high rate of urbanization and industrialization with fast growth

of population

. The urbanization rate from 2005 to 2010 was 3.5%, but now 4.0% was increased after the economy stabilized. After Industrialization throughout Ho Chi Minh City, thousands of labour- ers came from nearby provinces, contributing to a high population growth rate in suburban areas

(5)

(Fig.3).

Impacts of Climate Change on Water Crisis and Formation of Green Algal Blooms in Vietnam 71

Fig. 5. Distribution percentage of ground water in Vietnam (adopted from ref.7)

Fig. 4. Natural water resources in Vietnam

In Vietnam, the climate is tropical monsoon. The annual average rainfall is 2,050 mm in rainy season and lowest is 1,600 mm in summer. Vietnam surface water overview was presented in Fig.4.

The total average annual surface water discharge

is about 830 billion m

per year; more than 60% of Vietnam’s surface water generated outside the coun- try; only 309 billion m

per year generated within Vietnam

. The percentage of ground water dis- tribution in Vietnam

is showed in the Fig. 5.

3. Climate Change Effect on Water Sources in Vietnam

Over the past 50 years, the annual average tem- perature has been increased at 0.5

C (Fig.6). In sev- eral cities in Vietnam, severe flooding rapidly in- creasing and causing great damage, because of cli- mate change and sea level rise

.

Large floods in rainy season and severe droughts in summer season and now Vietnam is a country faced the water shortage problem. In recent 5-7 years, Ho Chi Minh City inundation suffering with high tide and heavy rainfall.

3.1 Flooding’s existing situation

There are several challenges with urban flooding’s

in Vietnam. The main reasons are: old urban infra-

structure, limited spaces for water percolation, de-

tention, temporary storage, infiltration and no safety

regulations for urban flooding management. The cli-

mate change impacts mainly on river floods are

Thenepalli Thriveni, Namju Lee, Gnu Nam, Ahn Ji Whan 72

Fig. 7a. Heavy floods in Hanoi

Fig. 7b. Heavy floods in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Fig. 8. Vietnam ground water quality (adopted from ref.7)

Fig. 6. Temperature variations in Vietnam due to climate change

higher, heavy rainfall with high intensity and tidal effects (Fig.7a & 7b)

. The recent scenario of cli-

mate change challenges in Vietnam is by the end of the 21

century, the sea water levels raised 75-100 cm compared to the period 1980 to 1999

.

4. Ground Water Contamination in Vietnam

Vietnam is facing the challenge of environmental pollution associated with rapid urbanization, espe- cially in the larger cities. There are several reasons for the ground water depletion and contamination such as: (i). Lack of the groundwater recharge source, (ii). Inappropriate abstraction between aqui- fers, (iii). Impact of climate change variations, and (iv). Uneven abstraction. The falling of ground water level in red river delta, Mekong delta and south east region and also arsenic contamination in red river delta is 18.7% and lowest rate is in North West 0.1%. The other ground water problem is salinity, particularly coastal zones

(Fig.8).

In Mekong Delta in Vietnam and Cambodia, ap-

proximately 16 million people living in these areas

and they are in highly risk with elevated arsenic lev-

els in their drinking water. In Mekong delta area,

nearly 900 wells at depths of 200-500 m are se-

verely contaminated with higher arsenic levels

.

Geologically formed arsenic (As) in groundwater

causes severe major health problems in several areas

of Vietnam. Some other heavy metals associated

Impacts of Climate Change on Water Crisis and Formation of Green Algal Blooms in Vietnam 73

Red Delta Mekong Delta

Fig. 9a. Arsenic contamination Red river delta and Mekong river delta, Vietnam (adopted from ref.7)

Red Delta

Fig. 9b. Associated metals in Vietnam ground water (adopted from ref.7).

with arsenic in Vietnam ground waters such as man- ganese and selenium (Fig. 9a & b).

Over the past 20 years, the Government of Vietnam has made considerable effort to develop ur- ban sanitation policies, legislations and regulations and to invest in urban sanitation including waste- water treatment systems.

4.1. Green Algae issue in Vietnam

According to the Center for Environment and Community Research CECR, of the 100 lakes, big and small, in the six districts of the inner Hanoi city, 71 % of lakes have incurred organic pollution, of which 14 % have got very seriously polluted, 25

% seriously and 32 % have shown signs of getting

Thenepalli Thriveni, Namju Lee, Gnu Nam, Ahn Ji Whan 74

Fig. 10. Green algae contamination in Hanoi, Vietnam.

polluted. The lakes have been getting polluted be- cause of the domestic waste water and the rubbish that local people throw directly into the lakes. The lakes and ponds in Hanoi are much polluted. Hanoi’s Sewer and Drains, only ~40% of inhabitants, human wastewater, >500,000,000 L /day, industrial waste- water, >300,000,000 L/day < 10% of industrial dis- charge is treated. Ngoc Khanh Lake, one of large lakes in Hanoi center, the lake has given out a smell. Local people are suffering from the stench

(Fig.10).

In Vietnam, currently the most serious problem is waste water treatment, green algae problem and wa- ter contamination. Land use pressures have led to severe environmental problems, such as soil erosion, deforestation, and sedimentation of rivers, declining fish yields, flooding in the deltas, and pollution of the coastal and marine environment. Vietnam gov- ernment considered those environmental challenges and some policies and recommendations are estab- lished to prevent climate change problems. The rec-

ommendations are: improvement of ground water monitoring system, seeking for new sources, limited exploitation, development of advanced database sys- tem, public awareness raising, central and local gov- ernments coordination etc.,

5. Conclusions

Vietnam country has fast uurbanization, industri- alization, and intensive farming is having a negative impact on Vietnam’s climate and environment.

These factors have led to noise pollution, water pol- lution, air pollution, and particularly in urban and industrial centers like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

The Mekong and Red River Deltas are threatened by

rising sea levelled caused by global warming, in-

creased flooding and salt intrusion. The government

approved a new National Target Program (NTP) to

deal with climate change two years ago and is col-

lecting submissions of provincial plans to in-

corporate into a national plan.

Impacts of Climate Change on Water Crisis and Formation of Green Algal Blooms in Vietnam 75

Acknowledgements

The authors are very grateful to the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Plan- ning through the ETI program, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (Project No. 2013T100100021) for financial support of this research.

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