Water Risk Index Workshop in Can Tho, Vietnam

Climate Adaptation Flagship

AusAID-CSIRO Research & Development Alliance Project

Climate Adaptation through Sustainable Urban Develo pment

Case study on Urban Water Systems in Can Tho, Vietnam

Water Risk Index Workshop in

Can Tho, Vietnam Magnus Moglia1, Stephen Cook1, Minh Nguyen1, Nguyen Hieu Trung2, Mick Paddon3, Felix Lipkin4, Seona Meharg4 1CSIRO Land and Water, Climate Adaptation Flagship, Australia 2DRAGON Institute, Can Tho University, Vietnam 3Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney, Australia 4CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Climate Adaptation Flagship, Australia

Workshop Date: 15th October 2010

Enquiries should be addressed to:

Dr Minh Nguyen - Research Scientist Tel: +61-3-9252 6290 [email protected]

Copyright and Disclaimer © 2010 CSIRO To the extent permitted by law, all rights are reserved and no part of this publication covered by copyright may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means except with the written permission of CSIRO.

Important Disclaimer CSIRO advises that the information contained in this publication comprises general statements based on scientific research. The reader is advised and needs to be aware that such information may be incomplete or unable to be used in any specific situation. No reliance or actions must therefore be made on that information without seeking prior expert professional, scientific and technical advice. To the extent permitted by law, CSIRO (including its employees and consultants) excludes all liability to any person for any consequences, including but not limited to all losses, damages, costs, expenses and any other compensation, arising directly or indirectly from using this publication (in part or in whole) and any information or material contained in it.

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Contents

Executive Summary ................................. ................................................................. iii

1. Introduction ...................................... ................................................................. 5

2. Methodology ....................................... ............................................................... 6

2.1 Background ............................................................................................................... 6

2.2 Invitation of workshop participants ........................................................................... 7

2.3 Workshop Facilitation ............................................................................................... 7

2.4 Workshop Sessions .................................................................................................. 8

3. Workshop outputs .................................. ........................................................ 10

3.1 Session 3: Definition of dimensions ........................................................................ 10

3.1.1 Overview ............................................................................................................. 10

3.1.2 Participants’ choice of group ............................................................................... 10

3.1.3 Group notes for each dimension ......................................................................... 11

3.2 Session 4 – Geographically referenced issues for WRI Dimensions ..................... 12

3.3 Session 5: Climate change and urbanisation ......................................................... 16

3.3.1 Impacts of climate change .................................................................................. 16

3.3.2 Impacts of urbanisation ....................................................................................... 16

4. Methodological discussion ......................... ................................................... 17

4.1 Participant insights .................................................................................................. 17

4.2 Appropriateness of dimensions .............................................................................. 18

4.3 Relative importance of dimensions ......................................................................... 18

4.4 Logistical concerns ................................................................................................. 19

5. Conclusions ....................................... ............................................................. 19

References ........................................ ........................................................................ 21

Appendix 1 – Workshop Timetable ................... ...................................................... 22

Appendix 2 - Participants and affiliations in break -out groups ............................ 23

Appendix 3 - Groups Notes for Session 3: Definition of issues for WRI Dimensions in Can Tho ............................. ..................................................... 24

Appendix 4 - Outputs from Session 3: Climate Change Impacts .......................... 32

Appendix 5 - Output from session 4: Geographically referenced issues............. 33

Appendix 6 – Summary of Session 5: Outputs from 4 g roups .............................. 36

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List of Maps Map 1 - Geographically referenced issues for WRI dimensions ................................................. 14

Map 2 - Geographically referenced issues for WRI dimensions - with current land use ............ 15

List of Tables Table 1: Dimensions and examples of issues ............................................................................... 9

Table 2 Ranking of importance of dimensions ............................................................................ 18

Table 3 Summary of rankings of dimensions .............................................................................. 18

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report describes a workshop carried out as part of the Can Tho case study of the AusAID-CSIRO Alliance project – Climate Adaptation though Sustainable Urban Development with Case Studies of Integrated Urban Water Systems in Can Tho Vietnam and Makassar Indonesia. The case study in Can Tho aims to support decision making process for investment in water infrastructure that responds to a number of challenges that city would face in future, including the anticipated impacts of climate change and key drivers such as high rates of urbanisation and associated population growth. The primary goal of the workshop was to develop an understanding of the situation of the urban water sector, and identify the available data sources that exist to further assess the situation; with a particular focus on challenges of climate change and urbanisation. Attending the workshop, there were key technical and managerial staffs from a range of stakeholder organisations, including relevant government departments, the local water utility, and a number of local institutes. Participants were specifically invited based on their scientific knowledge and potential to make a significant contribution to the project.

A key concern for the urban water sector is the impacts of climate change and urbanisation. To explore these impacts on the various segments of the water system, participants explored urban water issues according to six different themes: (1) Aquatic eco-systems, (2) Flooding, (3) Groundwater, (4) Infrastructure systems, (5) Water and sanitation access, and (6) Water quality. Participants validated the usefulness of these thematic areas of discussion, and identified an additional theme relating to Governance that could provide a more complete description of the urban water system. Whilst there was consensus that all themes are inter-connected, the theme of Water quality was perceived to be the most important dimension, and Groundwater systems the least important. As an output, participants identified the nature of these thematic issues in the local context. For example:

• Water and Sanitation access was explored in terms of socio-economic factors that influences the type of access, but also noted that there is a distinct lack of data to adequately assess this dimension;

• Water Quality was explored from the point of view of influencing factors (inadequate sanitation, fertilisers, pesticides, industry, temporary settlements etc), as well as disparities between primarily urban and rural populations;

• Aquatic ecosystems was explored from the point of view of influencing factors (pollution, hydropower dams, deforestation etc), but also discussed the lack of rigorous data and noted that much of existing information is anecdotal;

• Flooding was explored in terms of changes in frequency and intensity in different zones (increasing in urban areas, but decreasing in rural areas), and the influencing factors (tidal, rainfall, and lack of infrastructure etc), as well as the consequences of flooding (river bank erosion, damage to housing and impacts on public health);

• Infrastructure condition was explored in relation to a range of operational problems (leakage, low pressure, blockages, energy inefficiency), difficult demand-supply balance, the inadequacy of treatment plan capacity, the problem of illegal connections;

• Groundwater systems was explored from the point of view of monitoring data that indicates receding water levels due to over-exploitation, and concerns about water quality, but also noted recent measures for groundwater protection.

When participants were asked to identify geographically reference issues, the attention shifted to more local concerns. Maps were generated on the basis of participant outputs, and it seems there are some particular categories of areas that are of concern:

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• Highly urbanised areas with a combination of problems relating to water quality, inadequacy of infrastructure, and intense pollution impacting on aquatic ecosystems;

• Urban zones with relatively high population densities with significant concerns relating to inadequate water and sanitation access, and insufficient available infrastructure;

• Semi-rural river zones with high population densities but with significant concerns relating to flooding;

• Industrial zones near the river with problems relating to groundwater, flooding, lack of infrastructure, inadequate water and sanitation access, and poor water quality.

The judgment by the authors is that while the problem of industrial pollution is recognised there are no major initiatives in place to manage this. Such problems would be expected to be exacerbated by the current development priority of expanding manufacturing capacity particularly for processing of primary produce in more industrial zones.

When asked how dimensions may change in light of climate change, most participants expressed that they had gained insights and now realise that climate change will impact on all six dimensions in an inter-connected manner. In particular some of the key concerns relate to:

• Impacts on the water cycle with increased evapo-transpiration and changes in rainfall with flow on effects on water use, drying of soils, soil erosion and groundwater;

• Increased frequency and intensity of floods, especially with increased tidal effects due to sea level rise;

• Changes in river flow patterns with effects on agriculture, aquaculture and ecosystems;

When asked how dimensions may change in light of urbanisation, particular concerns relate to:

• Further need for infrastructure investments and centralised delivery of services can not keep up the pace with the growth of the city – and many segments of the community would not receive adequate water and sanitation services; and

• Issues relating to pollution, over-extraction of groundwater, and flooding are likely to become more complex and severe.

It was also considered that both climate change and urbanisation is likely to mean that financial and other resources such as energy will be more constrained and marginal.

This workshop has set the stage for the project, by achieving several important tasks: (1) providing a qualitative description of the Can Tho water system, (2) identifying key data and information sets, and (3) providing active engagement with stakeholders and enabling critical dialogue that will support discussion on future scenarios, as well as planning and design of alternatives for integrated urban water management. These results are essential for all the subsequent activities of the project.

Furthermore, the workshop has helped with capacity building in a couple of different ways, i.e. increasing participants’ understanding and learning from each other about the interconnected nature of the water system, and increasing capacity at the Can Tho University for facilitating these kinds of workshops independently.

Finally, the workshop has helped develop an understanding of the wider implications and consequences of climate change and urbanisation on the Can Tho water system; and the impacts appear to be greater than most participants initially expected. This awareness is raised primarily through the process of sharing information and knowledge within a collective assessment.

INTRODUCTION

Water Risk Index Workshop in Can Tho, Vietnam - 15th October 2010 5

1. INTRODUCTION

This report describes a workshop conducted in Can Tho, Vietnam, undertaken as a case study in a research initiative – Climate Adaptation though Sustainable Urban Development – supported by CSIRO, Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, and AusAID, the Australian Agency for International Development. The research initiative aims to explore improvements in spatial analysis and environmental impact assessment on decision making for major urban infrastructure projects and integrated urban environmental management. The Research for Development initiative has been operationalised through case studies of integrated urban water systems in urban centres, one in Can Tho, a delta city in Viet Nam; and the other in Makassar, a coastal city in Indonesia. Researchers from the Sustainable Cities and Coasts Theme of CSIRO Climate Adaptation Flagship are undertaking the case studies in collaboration with research partners. The Can Tho case study has two research partners: the DRAGON Institute of Climate Change Study of Can Tho University (CTU) Vietnam; and the Institute of Sustainable Future (ISF) of University of Technology Sydney, Australia.

Can Tho is the regional urban centre in the Mekong delta in Viet Nam – an area populated by what locals refer to as a water civilisation with a dense network of waterways. Water is central to everyday life and underpins the local economy, including agriculture, aquaculture, transport, and tourism. This natural resource is under pressure from increasing urbanisation and climate change (Can Tho University, 2009). Can Tho has been identified by the government of Vietnam as a key growth area, and this city is expected to be the regional centre of the very important Mekong delta.

The overall purpose of the Can Tho case study is:

To support decision making for water and wastewater infrastructure investment in Can Tho that reflects and responds to the anticipated impacts of climate change as well as other key drivers for growth such as population and urbanisation.

The project will apply the principles of Integrated Urban Water Management (Maheepala et al. 2010) and introduce concepts and ideas from systems thinking and engineering into the planning of water and sanitation in Can Tho, through engagement with local policy makers, urban managers and researchers. Furthermore, the project also has the following specific objectives:

• Assess the risks of climate change on the sustainability and availability of fresh water supplies and the functioning of the urban water systems

• Through effective engagement with stakeholders, establish future scenarios, planning and design alternatives for management of an integrated urban water system for the city that is adapted to climate and population change.

• Build capacity among the country partner organisations to assess risks of climate change and develop climate adaptation strategies for sustaining clean water supply and sanitation in urban and peri-urban areas as well as managing the unavoidable impacts of urban and delta flooding.

The difficulties faced by the City of Can Tho in providing adequate water services is complex due to the intricate nature of competing local objectives of: (i) raising the standard of living for a growing urban population, (ii) ensuring continued economic growth and (iii) the restoration and protection of natural resources. The future trajectory of local issues and problems will be

METHODOLOGY

6 Water Risk Index Workshop in Can Tho, Vietnam - 15th October 2010

influenced by trends in climate change and global market forces. Planning for sustainable water services in Can Tho requires a systems perspective that considers the interdependencies between different sectors and recognises the inherent uncertainty of trajectories of key drivers. Hence, this project will explore water and wastewater infrastructure needs in light of challenges relating to population and economic growth, urbanisation, and projected climate change impacts.

Firstly, an understanding of the current water service systems and water related issues, as well as the future development plans for the city is required. The needs, challenges and priorities for the future development of the city and related data will then be explored and collected through collaboration with research partners and a key stakeholder group, including the key city’s companies, departments, and institutions. The workshop, described herein, was designed to provide a platform from which to develop a detailed understanding of the local context.

The case study has four of activities: (1) understanding the current situation, future development of the city and obtain data; (2) assessment of regional climate change impacts on local water resources and functioning of water service; (3) climate-adapted integrated urban water system analysis at the city scale; and (4) development of alternative water service options for climate change adaptation in a peri-urban or a new development area. This workshop therefore has been the first and critical step in activity 1, aiming at setting up a good foundation to facilitate the subsequent activities.

2. METHODOLOGY

2.1 Background

The project inception meeting was held on the 14th of October 2010 prior to commencing the workshop. Participants at the inception meeting included key people from important stakeholders and partners, including: the Vice Chairman of the Can Tho People Committee, the Counsellor of AusAID Post in Vietnam, leaders from governmental departments and institutions of Can Tho city, and the Dean of the Can Tho University. The inception meeting introduced the project and objectives, and was considered an important step in building support and engagement from the various local departments and the Can Tho People’s Committee, critical in gaining legitimacy to operate in the context.

The Water Risk Index workshop held on the 15th of October 2010, described herein, marked a start to the research component of the project and was designed to achieve the following:

• Introduce project and water risk concepts to stakeholders through interactive and practical activities;

• Specifying the geographical focus of the project as being the six urban districts of Can Tho, and hence not the entire city as defined by its official boundaries;

• Provide opportunity for local stakeholders to shape the project’s focus and outputs;

• Facilitate discussions on Can Tho city water and sanitation from a system perspective;

• Generate a deeper understanding of the Can Tho city water and sanitation system, based on six dimensions of Water Risk index to be explored, namely:

METHODOLOGY


(1) Aquatic eco-system (A)

(2) Flooding (F)

(3) Groundwater (G)

(4) Infrastructure Systems (I)

(5) Water and Sanitation Access (W)

(6) Water Quality (Q)

• Identify sources and acquisition of data relating to the six dimensions.

2.2 Invitation of workshop participants

A list of key of organisations and departments that will benefit from knowledge of the outcomes of this project was developed through a stakeholder mapping exercise during previous scoping study trips, confirmed by ISF and CTU researchers involved in projects in the region. The key stakeholder organisations identified:

• Can Tho Water Supply and Sewerage Company (WSSC)

• Can Tho Institute of Architecture & Planning (IAP)

• Can Tho Department of Natural Resource and Environment (DONRE)

• Can Tho Dept of Planning & Investment (DPI)

• Can Tho Department of Construction (DOC)

• Can Tho Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD)

• Can Tho Dept. of Health (DOH)

• Can Tho Dept of Labor, Invalids & Social Affairs (DoLISA)

• Can Tho Urban Services Company

• Mekong Centre of Meteorology and Hydrology

• Can Tho Management Board of Industrial Zones

• Can Tho City Institute for Socio-Economic Development Studies (CIDS)

Key technical and managerial staffs from these stakeholder organisations were targeted for the workshop invitation by CTU, based on their scientific knowledge and potential to make significant contribution to the project. Participation in the workshop is geared to establishment of a good relationship between researchers and key stakeholder organisations that will persist throughout the project and beyond.

2.3 Workshop Facilitation

The workshop process was designed by CSIRO, with some refinements provided by CTU and ISF and facilitated by CTU. There were in total 7 facilitators: one central facilitator for plenary session and workshop scheduling, with six facilitators for the breakout groups for discussions

METHODOLOGY


on the six dimensions. There was also a note-taker for each group. The workshop directives were designed to provide participants with clear directions and enable discussions eliciting important knowledge about Can Tho’s water issues. The workshop was conducted in Vietnamese, to facilitate an uninhibited exchange of knowledge and ideas. All facilitators were fluent in English, and a specialist translator was employed to ensure that the Australian researchers followed the workshop proceedings. The CTU facilitators experienced in running similar workshops were assigned to the WRI dimension groups based on their scientific background, skill and interest.

2.4 Workshop Sessions

The workshop sessions and scheduling are described in Appendix 1. Individual sessions are briefly described below.

Session 1: Project Introduction

An introduction to the project and terms of references were provided by Dr. Nguyen, the CSIRO project leader for the Can Tho case study. Details were described in Vietnamese language using a bilingual Power point presentation and provided opportunities to ask questions, and introduce workshop participants.

Session 2: Describing the workshop and its methodology

The methodology was described in English by Mr Moglia (CSIRO); who designed the workshop. The presentation included:

• A description of workshop goals to:

o Address the questions: What is the current situation in Can Tho for water supply and sanitation? How vulnerable is that to change in the future; particularly from climate change impacts?

o Collect knowledge and perceptions of water related issues considered important, and identify key data sources to describe these issues.

o Provide a forum for a discussion of the complexities and local insights into water supply and sanitation issues.

o Identify the geographical focus of the project and locate potential case study locations.

o Highlight the issues considered to be of foremost importance by participants

• An introduction to the six dimensions to:

o Highlight the links between the workshop approach and Integrated Urban Water Management;

o Reference index approaches used at various scales, i.e. the Water Poverty Index (Sullivan et al, 2003) and amendment into an urban Water Risk Index;

METHODOLOGY


Examples of issues based on experience in other locations, were provided for each of the six dimensions, as shown in Table 1. Whilst this may prime participant responses, it is considered important to provide participants with some guidance in thinking about water issues. This allowed an efficient use of participants’ time, and provided more focus on issues considered important to workshop participants. Name and definitions of dimensions were also discussed and validated with local research partners at Can Tho University, leading to some minor modifications in terminology. This was done to make the approach more comprehensible to local participants.

Table 1: Dimensions and examples of issues

Dimension Examples of issues

Aquatic Eco-systems (A) River eco-systems (fish, birds, vegetation)

Aquaculture impacts

Flooding (F) Damages from floods

Effectiveness of protection measures

Frequency and extent

Tides, upstream flows and rainfall

Groundwater (G) Pollution of groundwater

Over-extraction

Protection measures

Salinity

Infrastructure Systems (I) Pipes and storages – breakages

Treatment facilities – appropriate?

Leakages and infiltration

Water & Sanitation access (W) Households and other customers access style to water

Related to WHO’s “access to improved water services”

How is water being supplied? Or not supplied?

Water Quality (Q) Health impacts

Fit for purpose quality

Behavioural aspects

Pollution of water sources / wastewater disposal

Session 3: Defining the six dimensions of water in Can Tho

Session 3 was carried out in break-out groups (one per dimension) for about 90 minutes. Participants were able to choose their own group. Each scribe was provided with forms to record information from each group, with a champion selected to report on discussions.

WORKSHOP OUTPUTS


Facilitators were asked to guide groups in identifying issues belong to each of dimensions. The questions posed to each of the groups were:

• What local issues define the dimension?

• What data represents those issues in the local context?

• Who has this data?

Some examples of how the form might be filled in were provided, on the basis of the researchers’ prior experience (Alexander et al, 2010).

Session 4: Geographical exploration of dimensions

Participants were able to select their own group, aligned to the WRI dimensions, to identify areas on maps where dimensional issues relating to dimensions were considered severe, (in reference to previous session). Group champion reported back findings on five selected locations and describe these, as well as justify their choices.

Session 5: Specific questions to groups

Four groups were assigned randomly to discuss the following questions:

• What insights have you gained from workshop discussions?

• How will climate change impact on the WRI dimensions?

• How do you think urban development trends will impact on the WRI dimensions?

• What is the relative importance of the WRI dimensions?

3. WORKSHOP OUTPUTS

The outputs of each of the sessions are described.

3.1 Session 3: Definition of dimensions

3.1.1 Overview

Participants defined six broad dimensions of water related issues for Can Tho precinct. Although the six dimensions overlap and are interdependent they provide grounds for classification of the most important issues for water management in Can Tho.

3.1.2 Participants’ choice of group

Due to the self-selecting nature of group formation, the number of participants in each group varied considerably, as shown in Appendix 2. On the basis of this information it is clear that group selection depends to a large extent on job roles and affiliation.

Based on group selection, tentatively, it appears that the dimensions: water quality, infrastructure condition and groundwater quality are within the sphere of interest of a larger number of organisations. Issues with stronger financial or technical interests, (Infrastructure

WORKSHOP OUTPUTS


condition, Groundwater issues and Flooding) appealed to a wider range of local actors. The dimensions: Water and sanitation access, and Aquatic ecosystems were of interest to fewer organisations. This is likely because: 1) there were few people in attendance from the agencies and organisations which might focus on access/poverty etc; and 2) the difficulties when dealing with aquatic ecosystems seemed to be more about the lack of conceptual frameworks, discourse or analysis focussing on this; as indicated by consistent difficulties of conveying concepts prior to and during workshop.

This is interesting considering Water and sanitation access, and Aquatic ecosystems represent diffuse and distributed dimensions that are currently difficult to observe and also most closely linked to social and environmental dimensions in a triple bottom line framework.

A tentative hypothesis could be that within the current institutional structure, the level of attention given to a particular dimension is directly related to the overall capacity and ability to observe related impacts. This may mean that to create a more balanced focus in the management of the Can Tho urban water system, focus should be on: 1) monitoring environmental impacts of the urban water system, and 2) surveying the type of access to water and sanitation services available to various community segments.

3.1.3 Group notes for each dimension

In Appendix 3, information on the main issues of the WRI dimensions for each group has been recorded. Information from these notes were also used to create a list of available data, reports and the corresponding custodians, useful for further actions in collecting data. Hereafter is the summary of group notes12.

The Water and Sanitation Access group highlighted the underlying socio-economic issues that influence access. In particular, ethnicity, level of education and economic status were identified as key determinants for water and sanitation access. It can be noted that in most cases that data was not available yet to support the influence of socio-economic indicators on access to water and sanitation.

The Water Quality group identified inadequate sanitation in nearly half the households as a major contributor to water quality issues. The group also highlighted disparities between the rural and urban populations in solid waste and sanitation services as an issue. Local settlement patterns and land use were also recognised as contributing to poor water quality; with temporary settlements along waterways, waste from fish processing plants and over-applications of fertilisers and pesticides in agriculture perceived as major contributors to water quality issues. The Vietnamese standards for water quality were listed by the group, which can be used as the benchmark to compare local water quality monitoring data.

The Aquatic Ecosystems group gave emphasis to the both the local factors impacting on the ecological health of waterways, such as pollution from urban areas; and also the more regional or basin scale issues, such as hydropower dams and deforestation. In many cases, local

1 It is acknowledged that two groups consisted of the only the facilitator and note taker, and only one other – i.e. “stakeholder” participant. Hence, it could be argued that in each case, the single stakeholder participant was able to dominate the ideas expressed and hence the output of these groups ought to be treated with a little more caution/reservation. 2 It is also noted that these views are those of the stakeholders involved in the workshop and no attempts have been made at this stage to assess the accuracy of any of the views expressed.

WORKSHOP OUTPUTS


monitoring data on ecological indicators, e.g., changes in freshwater species abundance and diversity, were described anecdotally as there is with no formal monitoring data available.

The Flooding group stressed that flooding had increased in urban areas, while in many cases had decreased in rural areas. The decrease in rural areas was attributed to improvements to canals and embankments. Urban flooding was seen as a result of a combination of factors, including: tidal influence, heavy rainfall events and inadequate urban infrastructure. The negative impacts of floods identified included; river bank erosion, impact on agriculture and aquaculture production, damage to housing, and an increase in water borne disease and loss of life.

The Infrastructure Condition group highlighted the myriad of issues faced in delivering sustainable water services to Can Tho’s urban population. The main issues included:

• Operational problems with water supply system associated with poor infrastructure condition and design. E.g., pipeline leakage, low pressure, blockages and energy inefficiency (due to households requiring separate pump).

• The rate of urbanisation and resulting increase in water demand has not been matched by capital investment in the water supply system.

• The first wastewater treatment plant for Can Tho is still to be built, but when this plant is commissioned there are no plans as yet to treat the other 80% of industrial and residential wastewater.

• Illegal connections and groundwater pumping were highlighted as issues impacting on viability of the centralised water supply system.

The Groundwater Systems group bought attention to the 16 national monitoring stations gathering groundwater data on both aquifer levels and quality of ground water, but it was considered this monitoring network only provided baseline information for the 11 water quality criteria in the Vietnamese Health Standard, and there remains the need for an expanded local monitoring system. Observation has been undertaken at 30 household wells for water quality parameters, indicating increasing levels of COD and coliform counts. Over-exploitation of groundwater supplies remains a significant problem with more 30,000 household wells and 500 bores supplying domestic and industrial demand. There have been a number of decisions made to protect groundwater including the need to cap and restore discarded wells that are a major source of groundwater pollution.

3.2 Session 4 – Geographically referenced issues fo r WRI Dimensions

The workshop participants for each of the WRI dimensions marked on maps the occurrence of issues associated with their dimensions. Appendix 5 contains the description of the issues by participants, as well as their perceived severity. Maps 1 and 2 depict the spatial reference for each issue

The Aquatic Ecosystems group highlighted the impact of untreated wastewater and other pollutants from the urban area on the ecological health of the Xang Thoi Lake and Bung Xang Canal. This group also pointed to the pollution from aquaculture, and food manufacturing, to the north of the city as significant issue for the aquatic ecosystem.

The Flooding group marked out locations where there is increased occurrence of flood damage to the urban area due to tidal influence and poor drainage infrastructure. The group also called attention to locations where river bank erosion from flooding events is considered a serious

WORKSHOP OUTPUTS


problem for rural and urban areas. The impact of flooding on aquaculture and agricultural production was also highlighted by this group.

The Groundwater Systems group pointed to areas where over-exploitation of groundwater resources for domestic and industrial demand was considered to be most severe, which included industrial parks to the north of the city. The group also emphasised point sources of pollution for groundwater, such as the Cai Rang landfill.

The Water Quality group marked areas where the land use was considered to have adverse impact on water quality. The particular land uses highlighted were: wastewater discharge from industrial parks to the Sang Trang and Cai Chom canals; domestic wastewater and other urban pollutants to the Cai Khe and Tham Tuong canals; and, pollution from aquaculture and fish processing in Thot Not District.

The Water and Sanitation Access group pointed to the new urban areas of O Mon and Cai Rang having issues of availability of piped water supply. The influence of socio-economic status on access to adequate water supply and sanitation was highlighted. The group indicated that access to sources of potable water would depend on increasing urbanisation and general living standard.

The Infrastructure Condition emphasised the area of the central Can Tho with water losses from leakage and illegal connections. The location of the planned wastewater treatment plant that will service the existing urban centre of Ninh Kieu was indicated.

WORKSHOP OUTPUTS


Map 1 - Geographically referenced issues for WRI dimensions

Note: This is a reproduction of where participants noted locations for demonstration and illustration purposes, and hence may not be completely accurate in every respect in terms of exact location of difficulties.

WORKSHOP OUTPUTS


Map 2 - Geographically referenced issues for WRI dimensions - with current land use

Note: This is a reproduction of where participants noted locations for demonstration and illustration purposes, and hence may not be completely accurate in every respect in terms of exact location of difficulties.

WORKSHOP OUTPUTS


3.3 Session 5: Climate change and urbanisation

This session explored the impact on the six dimensions by the projected effects of climate change or urbanisation.

3.3.1 Impacts of climate change

Prior knowledge of the impact of climate change on Can Tho has been informed by climate change modelling for the lower Mekong Region which generally indicates that precipitation will increase with more extreme rainfall events. However, the utmost concern would be the change of hydrological regime of Mekong River. Lower water flows from upstream coupled with higher tides and sea level rise presents a higher risk of salinity intrusion further inland into surface water and groundwater.

The impact of climate change on some of the dimensions had been explored previously in the third session, as shown in Appendix 4. Climate change was also addressed in the fifth session, where break-out groups responded to questions on climate change impacts on the six dimensions. These notes are in Appendix 6. A synthesis of the discussion of the groups follows;

• It was generally argued that climate change will be likely to impact on all six dimensions, and that it is difficult to separate out effects as all dimensions are closely inter-connected.

• Due to likely negative effects on the water resources, including the water quality of the river, it was thought that access to water will be reduced both for households as well as for industry and agriculture.

• Indications are that there will be more severe effects of flooding and flooding events.

• The biodiversity in the hydrological areas would be affected negatively, related in part to upstream dam construction and changes in river flow patterns – in particular relating to reduced sediments and aquatic resources in the water.

• The groundwater would be affected by higher extraction rates, higher evaporation rates, increased tidal effects and salinity intrusion due to increased sea level.

• Infrastructure would be affected by more severe conditions, including flooding events, placing greater pressure on infrastructure.

3.3.2 Impacts of urbanisation

In session five, the four groups where participants were randomly assigned, were asked: “How will this change into the future – in light of urban developments?” The notes were shown in Appendix 6. A synthesis of the groups’ ideas and discussions is as follows:

It was argued by groups that urban development will lead to a shift in scale which may mean that more funds are required and this may generate problems unless greater income is generated to address problems. Hence, it is important to increase income in line with urbanisation. Also it was argued that with increased urbanisation, the severity of issues may become more urgent, for example, water quality in response to increased pollution, the increased extraction of groundwater and effect on groundwater levels. It was also argued that increased levels of

METHODOLOGICAL DISCUSSION


urbanisation will require more investments in infrastructure; which will lead to increased costs both in investments as well as in operation and maintenance. Groups also reiterated the risk that increased urbanisation may mean that some segments of the community might not receive adequate water and sanitation services, as is usually the case in rapidly growing cities where centralised delivery of services cannot keep up the pace with the growth of cities.

In particular, one of the groups stated:

Urbanisation will have an overall impact on 6 dimensions. Since demand of clean water increases in urban areas, water access (Water Access -I) will be the first most concern. Then wastewater discharging in concentrated urban area will increase, this would impact to quality of water resources if there is not a good treatment system (Water Quality, II). Flooding level (Flooding, III) will be higher if water regulation of lakes and water discharging canals are not capable in handling the load.

4. METHODOLOGICAL DISCUSSION

A number of methodological lessons were gained during the workshop, to ensure future workshops will be more effective, as described.

4.1 Participant insights

Towards the end of the workshop, groups were asked about their insights from the workshop. Notes are shown in Appendix 6, and now synthesised. Overall, the level of energy in response to this question was high, and there was a sense that many participants were very happy to have had the opportunity to discuss the water and sanitation at a system level; providing many insights into the holistic and inter-connected nature of many concerns.

To give the flavour of responses, below is an extract from the notes of one group, which purveys the general feeling about the workshop:

We can understand about water resources and pollution level of the whole Can Tho City. From these we can think of method and measures to reduce pollution. Protection measures are necessary for ground water from loads of pollution and for a reasonable exploitation, especially at the bore wells. This project is necessary, and if possible it should be proceeded ASAP to reduce water risks and assist Can Tho city to prepare its incoming water resource management planning. Through the workshop we know where would be the most risky bearing area in water resource, and the place where we can access for correct data. For those who are managers they now know which matters are important then put out adequate priorities.

Some other particular issues mentioned were:

• The multi-disciplinary perspective and discussion on the water system is absolutely useful critical and should be further promoted

• There is a need for further and regular discussion time between stakeholders to give systemic issues adequate attention

• There are some real concerns about the water system; and in particular future developments relating to climate change, urbanisation adding additional risk to the water resources and supply

• Water is an important issue in the 21st century, and planning must be synchronised.

METHODOLOGICAL DISCUSSION


4.2 Appropriateness of dimensions

To try and confirm and legitimise the usefulness of the choice of dimensions with participants, the groups were asked about the appropriateness of them. Hence, groups were asked:

• Does the current choice of dimensions adequately represent the water system?

• If you could add dimensions what would they be?

• If you could remove a dimension, which would that be?

In response to this, the participants gave a strong endorsement of the choice of dimensions – with no concerns raised, but instead praised the usefulness of the dimensions in supporting dialogue and increasing understanding. However, there were some questions raised regarding the inclusion of “Governance” as another dimension, but it was also considered that, for pragmatic reasons, this is a topic that ought to be dealt with separately.

4.3 Relative importance of dimensions

Groups were asked to state the relative importance of the dimensions. The results are shown in Table 2. It is noted that this exercise was undertaken with group membership assigned randomly rather than through self-selection. It is also noted that we know from previous selection of groups that participants have a greater interest in areas such as infrastructure and flooding, but more variable interest in water access and aquatic eco-systems.

Table 2 Ranking of importance of dimensions

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4

1. Water Quality

2. Flooding

3. Aquatic Ecosystem

4. Infrastructure

5. Water & Sanitation Access

6. Groundwater

1. Infrastructure


3. Water quality


5. Groundwater

6. Flooding


2. Water Quality

3. Infrastructure

4. Flood


6. Groundwater

1. Water Quality

2. Infrastructure


Based on this we find that the overall groups ranking of issues can be summarised in Table 3.

Table 3 Summary of rankings of dimensions

Dimensions Mean rank Min rank Max rank Weight

Water quality 1.75 1 3 0.25

Infrastructure 2.5 1 4 0.21

Water & Sanitation Access 3 1 5 0.19

Flooding 3.75 1 6 0.15

Aquatic Eco-systems 4.25 3 5 0.13

Groundwater 5.75 5 6 0.06

CONCLUSIONS


The groups consistently perceived water quality to be of very high importance, whilst groundwater systems are perceived as less important. The greatest level of disagreement (as judged by the calculated empirical standard deviation of the ranks) concerned the importance of “Flooding” and the importance of “Water and sanitation access”. There was very little disagreement regarding “Groundwater” and relatively little disagreement concerning the importance of “Water quality” and “Aquatic eco-systems”. Finally, if these ranks were used to calculate weights in an index framework, then they would be as per last column in Table 3 (as calculated by the sum of ranks per dimension divided by the total sum of ranks).

4.4 Logistical concerns

From a methodological point of view, there are improvements that could be made to the process.

Invitation: Clearly, there was a much stronger contingent of people interested in infrastructure than aquatic eco-systems and access issues. This skew in participants’ interest relates to the selection of participants. It is recommended that in other workshops that more effort is put into systematically selecting a wider representation of participants. This may be done via stakeholder mapping procedures followed by engagement with key stakeholders to build support and understanding of the project.

Language: The importance of conducting the workshop in Vietnamese language was evident. In general, this allowed participants to actively engage in workshop activities.

Scribing: Collection of data via notes was problematic. A better system to capture information/notes would be useful as at different times the note taking was sparse and did not fully capture the richness of information communicated during the workshop. Recording of sessions is an option that was discussed but was considered to be clearly sensitive; and it was thought that participants may feel uneasy about disclosing opinions or information in such scenario. Furthermore, it was deemed that recording of sessions is not consistent with the ethical considerations that are requirements for both the CSIRO and the UTS.

Time for reporting back: Insufficient time was allocated for participant reporting. Re-arrangements of the schedule allowed sufficient time for reporting for several sessions, whilst there was little time for other sessions. Reporting sessions were clearly very useful to participants as this provided an opportunity for group discussion and questioning and it appears that this encourages group learning, particularly with disclosure of rich qualitative information. Therefore, more time should be assigned to such activities in future workshops.

5. CONCLUSIONS

The overall sense of the workshop is that it was a constructive and useful day of discussion, fostering a new kind of thinking about the integrated nature of the urban water system – hence already contributing to the capacity building with local stakeholders. This is seen as a first critical step in improving the adaptive capacity of Can Tho, helping local stakeholders to deal with threats linked to climate change and urbanisation.

CONCLUSIONS


In terms of the fostering of a type of systems thinking, it was thought that this type of forum for cross-departmental and inter-disciplinary interaction can be both powerful and very constructive. This may raise questions about whether a permanent forum or community of practice, for integrated discussion about the urban water system may be appropriate in Can Tho, as is sometimes promoted in other locations to support social learning and new ideas. This may be a key component within a capacity building strategy for the Can Tho water sector.

This workshop has also set the stage for the project in Can Tho, by achieving several important tasks: 1) providing a qualitative description of the Can Tho water system, 2) identifying key data and information sets, and 3) providing active engagement with stakeholders and enabling critical dialogue that will support discussion on future scenarios, as well as planning and design of alternatives for integrated urban water management. Furthermore, the workshop has helped with capacity building in a couple of different ways: 1) increased participants understanding and learning from each other about the interconnected nature of the Can Tho water system, and 2) increased capacity at the Can Tho University for facilitating and organising these kinds of workshops independently. Finally, the workshop has helped develop an understanding of the wider implications and consequences of climate change and urbanisation on the Can Tho water system; and the impacts appear to be greater than most participants initially expected. This raised awareness is primarily due to the process of sharing individual information and knowledge within a collective assessment.

This workshop therefore has been the first and critical step in Activity 1 of the project, which will be followed up by a data collection to complete the Activity 1 for understanding the current situation and future development. The understanding of the wider implications and consequences of climate change and urbanisation on the Can Tho from the workshop is helpful in setting up direction for Activity 2 on assessment of climate change impacts on water resources and water services. The structured understanding on the city’s urban water system via the six dimensions allows further systems analysis helping to explore future scenarios in Activity 3, where planning for climate-adapted water systems for the whole city is targeted to support fragmented departments to coordinate their activities into cohesive and coordinated action to safeguard the water future of the city. The results of geographically referenced issues for the dimension in the workshop have also helped identify the water risk hot spots, one of which would be selected for the Activity 4 to develop alternative water service options for climate change adaptation, as a test-bed to support learning and capability building for local research partners.

REFERENCES


REFERENCES

Alexander KS, Moglia M, Miller C (2010) Water needs assessment: Learning to deal with scale, subjectivity and high stakes, Journal of Hydrology 388(3-4), pp.251-257

Can Tho University & Can Tho People’s Committee (2009) ‘Climate Change Impacts and Vulnerability Assessment for Can Tho City', Summary Report for Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN)” Program, Can Tho City, Viet Nam.

Carrard N, Willetts J, Mitchell C, Paddon M, Retamal M (2010) Selecting sanitation solutions for peri-urban areas: A case study of Can Tho, Vietnam. In 'Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Solutions in Developing Countries Conference and Exhibition', 23-26 March 2010, Surabaya, Indonesia

Maheepala S, Blackmore J, Diaper C, Moglia M, Sharma A, Kenway S (2010) 'Manual for Adopting Integrated Urban Water Management for Planning', Water Research Foundation U.S.A.

Sullivan, C. A., Meigh, J. R. & Giacomello, A. M. (2003). The water poverty index: development and application at the community scale. Natural Resources Forum, 27(3), 189–199.

APPENDIX 1 – WORKSHOP TIMETABLE


APPENDIX 1 – WORKSHOP TIMETABLE

Time Topic Who Available Time

8.30-9.00 Session 1: Welcome - Project introduction - Objectives of workshop

Minh Nguyen 20 mins + 10 mins questions

9.00-9.30 Session 2: Introducing the workshop structure

- Purpose: collect data and discuss issues

- Identify scope: geographical and concerns

- What are the most pressing issues?

- Structure of workshop

Magnus Moglia

30 minutes

9.30-9.45 Tea break

9.45-11.15 Session 3: Discussing the six dimensions:

- What do they mean in Can Tho? What types of situations exist for each dimension?

- What type of data is available to represent them?

- Who has that data?

CTU facilitators

1.5 hours

11.15-13.15 Lunch

13.15-14.15 Session 4: Exploring the dimensions through geographically referenced examples

CTU facilitators

1 hour

14.15-15.15 Session 5: Questions for the group discussion (45 min) & discussion of results

- What insights have your discussions today given you?

- How will climate change impact on these dimensions?

- How will this change into the future – in light of urban developments?

- What is the relative importance of these dimensions?

CTU facilitators

1 hour

15.15-15.30 Tea

15.30-16.30 Session 6: Wrapping up

- Flexible spot – discuss any new issues that have arisen (15 minutes)

- Feedback from the floor – personal impressions (30 minutes)

Minh Nguyen 1 hour

APPENDIX 2 - PARTICIPANTS AND AFFILIATIONS IN BREAK-OUT GROUPS


APPENDIX 2 - PARTICIPANTS AND AFFILIATIONS IN BREAK -OUT GROUPS

Total number of participants: 35

Dimension Number of participant

Affiliations of participants (in order of number of attendants)

Aquatic ecosystems

3 Center for Natural Resources & Environmental Monitoring (CNREM) (within DoNRE)

Flooding 5 Department of Agriculture and rural development (DARD)

Mekong Delta Center for Hydro-Meteorology

Groundwater issues

7 Department of Natural Resources & Environment (DoNRE)

Department of Planning & Investment (DPI)

Department of Industry & Trade

Infrastructure condition

10 Water Supply and Sewerage Company (WSSC)

Planning & Architecture Institute (IAP)

Dept of Construction (DoC)

Water and sanitation access

3 Cần Thơ Institute of Socio-Economic Development Study (CIDS)

Water quality 7 Dept. of Health (DoH)

Dept. of Labor & Invalid-Social Affairs (DoLISA)

Preventive Healthcare Center (within DoH)

CNREM (within DoNRE)

Note: There were also participants from Can Tho University (CTU) in all sessions, who also served as facilitators and note takers. The CTU’s participants are from the following departments and institutes of the University:

• Research Institute for Climate Change (DRAGON Institute) • Mekong Delta Development Research Institute (MDI) • College of Environment and Natural Resources (CENRes)

APPENDIX 3 - GROUPS NOTES FOR SESSION 3: DEFINITION OF ISSUES FOR WRI DIMENSIONS IN CAN THO



Aquatic ecosystems (A)

Issues Data Source of data Fresh water system Water quality is reduced - Smaller canal, more polluted - Hau River: polluted within

200m along river side

10-parameter monitoring data,

e.g. COD value increasing from 7mg/litre to 15 mg/litre

CNREM (DoNRE)

Water resource fluctuation - Average and lowest level

also increase - Upstream water level in Tân

Châu and Châu Doc is lowering

- Highest level increases (50cm in 30 years)

River level fluctuations

Mekong Centre for Hydrology

and Meteorology Monitoring

Ecosystem (of Hau River and rural rivers/canals) - Decrease in the number of

species and speciments of natural fresh water fish

- Decreasing quantity of natural fresh water shrimps

- Duck flock numbers are

increased in rural areas

- Farmed fish (catfish)

- Decreasing of species and

quantity (Linh White species, etc)

- Decreasing of quantity

(1kg/each net catching) - Observation of changes in

quantities depending on particular events or market demands, e.g. bird-flu epidemic

- Land use for fish farm

increases. Production (per population) of catfish increases 11 times from 1998 to 2008

- Monitoring data unavailable - By observation, no detailed

specific data, reference may be available at CENRes’CTU

- By observation only, realised

the importance and need to be monitored in near future

Aqua plants - Low water level �

pollution increases � aqua system increases (and vice versa)

- Variable with area or time, some aqua plants develops stronger in small waterways during dry seasons due to high pollution

- Studies on physical, chemical, and biological properties are necessary as well as on impact of motor boat traffic on rivers/canals

- No research data is available as yet

Invasive species - Glass cleaning fish, Red ear

turtle, etc.

- May be assessed via the impact to local creatures species

- Data may be available at Dept of Env. &Nat. Res. (CTU)

Aqua product - Farmed fish (catfish)

- Increasing of farming area and

- DARD



- Farmed shrimp (fresh water shrimp) increases

- Eel, frog – increase - Fresh water crab – increases

farming density

- Direct observation - Direct observation - Direct observation

Urbanisation impacts on aquatic- ecosystem - Unknown

- It is necessary to study about future impacts

- Data unavailable

Wetlands - Natural and constructed

- Classification of wetlands, function, ecosystem

- Data unavailable

Upstream countries’ activities impacts - 19 hydro-power dams - deforestation of upstream catchments

- Considered to have the largest impacts on surface water quantity and quality of Mekong River

- DONRE - Mekong Centre for

Hydrology and Meteorology Monitoring

- MRC

Flooding (F)

Issues Data Source of data Urban flooding by tidal fluctuation or heavy precipitation influences: - transportation, - sanitation, - health and - daily life

Urban sewage systems have not satisfied to release tidal movement and/or heavy rainfalls. Recently, flooding in rural areas decreases, but tidal levels in urban areas, and thus urban flooding gradually increases.

Water level Discharge Precipitation Damage Water-borne diseases Water supply Focal group discussion at grass root level

Mekong Delta Center for Hydro-Meteorology Urban Works Company DoH WSSC

Flood damage on - agriculture and - aquaculture - Flooding in rural areas recently

decreases - maybe thanks to some protection measures, such as Canal improvement O Mon – Xa No project, and small scale embankments in Binh Thuy and Phong Dien.

Flood damage assessments DARD

River bank erosion causes loss of - agricultural land, - residential land, - property, and - human life

Area eroded Properties lost Human fatality

DONRE PC at district level (Economic Office), CFSC at different levels CNREM

Poor drainage capacity due to - urbanization, - concrete construction, - decrease in surface water area - sea level rise

Decrease in water surface area (lakes and canals)

DoC WSSC

Positive impacts of delta floods - wash out urban pollution

Decrease in polluted matters Dragon Institute



Groundwater systems (G)

Issues Data Source of data Pollution

- 16 national monitoring stations (3 wells/station for 20m-40m, 60m-80m, 80m- 140m) which observe: + Ground water level + Temperature + Ground water quality - included: 11 criteria according to the Healthcare Standard No. 83/2000. - Observation is also conducted over about 30 household wells by Can Tho Centre for Nat.Res. & Env Monitoring. But only water quality was record. - COD, coliform level are observed as increasing in household wells, and this is unlikely representing for all systems. - Mercury and Arsenic level are still lower than standard. - In general, salinity has not yet affected to groundwater quality. Some particular cases of salination intrusion were noted, but need to be confirmed - There are only 16 stations for whole city. Then, the data only reflects baseline information of pollution. A full network of monitoring stations is necessary. - DONRE already submits to the People Committee a new proposal to investigate the current situation of groundwater in Can Tho city. This proposal can be approved in 2011-2012.

DONRE

Over-exploitation

- In 2002, there were more than 30,000 bore wells, 400 - 500 bore wells are for industrial purpose and for water supplying at rural area in the former Can Tho province. - There is not any survey or observation to realise the total amount of ground water bore well in Can Tho city. - Mostly people use 60m-80m deep wells. - Lack of data for exploitation. In DoNRE reports, estimation of 3m3/day/borewell/person was adopted as a guidance number. - The People’s Committee request that license for bore well will not be released at those places where already exist piped water supplying. License for bore well is also limited in industrial parks; however water supply production is not enough for usage in the industrial parks.

DoNRE Some data on aquifers can be obtained from Investigation & Planning League for Water Resource ‘806’ , DoNRE in HCMC

Groundwater Reserves

- Survey to show relationship of ground water level in 16 stations is not yet carried out. - Water table level decreases 0.3 - 0.7m/year

DoNRE

Protection Policy

- Decision No.14 for capping and restoring un-used wells to protect pollution. Abandoned wells are a current problem as a cause of polluting ground water. - Decision No.15 (2008) for ground water preservation and exploitation. - License for bore well exploitation in Water supply stations shall be renewed every 5 years, and bore wells for industrial purpose shall be renewed every 1 year.

DoNRE



Infrastructure condition (I)

Issues Data Source of data

Water supply pipeline system

300km pipe network, suppling water for 80% population of current urban areas. Aiming at 90% of the urban population in 2025 Pipeline leakage, usually at junctions, old meters, construction sites, under roads) Dead-end pipe system, water supplied with very low pressure (~ 0.7 bar). Most households need a pump and water tanks, which pose a risk of re-contamination of the supplied water and large wastage of energy Illegal connection – existing but cannot be determined Water loss is 48% (2003). Recently reported to be improved to 28%.

WSSC

Water demand increases

Can Tho became Class 1 city, resulting in a high rate of urbanisation and hence water demand. WSSC is working up to its limit, and always lack of capitals for developments

WSSC

Degradation of infrastructure

Leakage, infiltration, obstruction, breakage happen in almost pipelines, manholes and caps are collapsed System is too old, data may not be accurate

WSSC

Water treatment plants (supply)

Currently considered to be enough (WSSC). Current supply planning for urban areas is available from WSSC, and for peri-urban and rural areas is available from DARD Lacks of 100,000 m3/day from now to 2015, would be higher under climate change effects Current treatment technology is very standard. Need to prepare for salinity intrusion with better technologies

WSSC DARD (Centre of Clean Water and Environmental Sanitation for Rural areas)

Waste water treatment plants

The 1st plant (Cai Sau 30,000m3/day) is being constructed with delayed completion until next year (hopefully). However, this plant only serves for Ninh Kiều district and part of Bình Thủy (under WB Urban Upgrading Program – ODA funded by GTZ, KfW) Approximately 80% domestic and industrial wastewater is still having no plan to be treated. Industrial wastewater is a current issue for all 8 industrial zones of the city. Discussion is going on with general ideas that the infrastructure developers/investors be responsible for planning wastewater treatments. Capitals and recoveries are the issues. General rule: all industrial zones must have wastewater treatment systems after 31/12/2010. Currently asking funding for the following treatment plants:

• Wastewater treatment plant at Rau Ram • Wastewater treatment plant of 20,000 m3/day for

industrial zones Tra Noc 1 and 2 • Wastewater treatment plant of 5000m3/day for Thot Not

industrial zone Very large amount of wastewater from fish farms also needs to be treated to improve sanitation condition – cannot be neglected in planning wastewater treatment for the city Un-published Regulations of Water Supply Systems Management and Protection available from DoC. This is based on Decree 107 and Circular No.01 of MoC

WSSC



Drainage/sewerage connections

Many households do not connect yet, data is partly available Combined wastewater and stormwater systems in inner city (Ninh Kieu + part of Binh Thuy = old Can Tho city). Separate systems are required in new development area in South Can Tho (Cai Rang). No sewerage system for others. Long pipes and very flat terrain, difficult for drainage No detailed and specialised planning for sewerage system of the city. Connections can be made to the main sewer where available, but there is unclear about flow direction, gathering areas and amounts DoC is doing specialised planning for water supply and sanitation of the city until 2030. This will be based on the general planning of the city until 2030 = general planning 2006 for the city until 2025 + climate change adaptation, which is currently established. A general idea for the new planning is to establish a ‘green belt’ of 200m wide along the river for water regulation Un-published Regulations of Wastewater Systems and Treatments available from DoC. This is based on Decree 88 of Government and Circular No.9

WSSC DOC

Untreated wastewater sludge from dredging activities

Not available N/A

Water security

No infrastructure for large storage of water (reservoirs) Water treatment plants are not connected to each other, therefore cannot back-up for each other if there is an environmental accident or failure in operation of a plant. The risk of environmental accidents is considered to be high as the most urbanised area is located between upstream and downstream industrial zones, which are all located along the Mekong river



Water and sanitation access (W)

Issues Data Source of data Water services access depends on: - Geographical location Statistical yearbook (clean

water vs potable water) Decision 09/2005/QD-BYT of MoH on Clean Water Standard Social Economic Development Plan (Cần Thơ) year 2011 (draft)

CIDS

- Economic status, ie. the rich and the poor

Ranking of wealthy (we think) (level of poverty/wealthy)

- Education (knowledge, attitudes and practices),

Not yet

- Management/regulations from government agencies

Social Economic Development Plan (Cần Thơ) year 2011 (preliminary draft)

- Ethnic groups, e.g Kinh, Khmer people

Not yet

- Availability of water sources to people

Not yet - Some reference data are available in ‘Climate Change Impact Assessment And Vulnerability Of Can Tho City” (2009)

CIDS WSSC (maybe...)

- Custom and local perception on ‘tolerability’ of water sources

Not yet

- Time (seasonal) Not yet Water access mode:

- Types of access: tap, well, underground, river/canal, rainfall storage

- registration status (illegal connection are common)

- Water supply infrastructure

Not yet available

N/A

(Water) sanitation: - differentiation between potable and

usable water - links to ethnic groups, water access groups

- potable water source: links to different water access groups

- types of latrines – existing problem - age and sex groups - household vs, individual - vulnerable/risk groups (who are

they?) - salinity intrusion - water supply (company) quality

standards

Not available

N/A



Water quality (Q)

Issues Data Source of data 1. Water quality issues which impact on health Toilet situation - There are only 51% of households in CT having standard toilet (to June, 2010). It means 49% of households in CT still discharge wastes/wastewater directly into the rivers. - 2015 projection: 70% of households in Cần Thơ having standard toilet - Most of the case of without toilet are in rural areas

3-monthly data/ yearly reports

Preventive Healthcare Center (Dept of Health)

Solid wastes - Urban waste: 70% is collected (outstanding 30% is not managed). - Rural waste: 30% is collected, no waste management system for the remaining 70% (biogerms and chemical are included in wastes) The Preventive Healthcare Center provides information on water related diseases as follows: - Cholera: appearing in most of Mekong Delta provinces. This is the most critical issue. 8 cases are discovered particularly in Can Tho so far. (note: 01 recorded cholera case means likely 100 undiscovered cases in reality, but by auto-immune mechanism these are unnecessary to treat) - Dengue: since early 2010 there are 700 cases and 3 deaths

3-monthly data/ yearly reports CNREM is monitoring solid waste management

Environmental Works Enterprise (Urban Works Company) CNREM Preventive Healthcare Center (Dept of Health)

2. Fit for purpose quality: Drinking water - to follow Vietnam Standards (QCVN) QCVN 01:2009/BYT for urban tap water and QCVN 02:2009/BYT for rural tap water - Urban tap water quality is OK but that of rural tap water meets only 70% (e.g. high hardness) - less than 50% of farming households are accessible to clean water (rural water supply stations) - some farming households exploit their own bore-well, e.g. at Bình Thủy district: high level of iron, hardness, salinity, micro-germs… which exceeding standard levels (processing is encouraged before using)

QCVN issued by the Ministry of Health Annual reports Annual reports Annual reports

Preventive Healthcare Center (Dept of Health)

Preventive Healthcare Center (Dept of Health) CNREM (DoNRE)



Surface water (rivers) - surface water at Ninh Kiều district and at those water bodies far away from Mekong river is considered to be polluted (eg: BOD, COD exceed 2-5 times) - Due to urbanisation, most, if not all, canals in current urban areas became dead-end (Cai Khe, Tham Tuong, Bung Xang), causing water stagnation and thus signifying the pollution of the water that is difficult to be flushed out to the rivers.

QCVN 08:2009/BTNMT Surface water quality standard Data/ annual reports

CNREM (DoNRE)

3. Behavioural aspects - Dumping solid waste and toilet waste directly to river/canal (especially by those who are living in boats/ships), or by those households living along the bank / over water surface of urban rivers/canals (Cái Khế, Tham Tướng) - Behaviour of using drop toilet over river/ canal and fish pond is still existing in rural sites - Using untreated river water for daily meals and domestic purpose - Wastewater from fish farming ponds discharging directly to rivers - Treatment facilities are unavailable in small factories, enterprises (or available but not in operation) - Using of too much insecticide and crop protection chemical in farming

Data/ annual reports Interpreting from data in question 1 Data/ annual reports Managing data from factory/enterprise wastewater

Preventive Healthcare Center (City’s Dept of Health) Aqua Product Management Division (DARD)

Environment management Division (DoNRE):

DARD

4. water resource pollution/ water discharge: Surface water - Urban, Industrial, agricultural, domestic, hospital, and healthcare facilities waste waters - Besides the pollution by organic substances, there is a risk of pollution by new un-sensed chemicals and heavy metals coming from new type of fertilisers. These substances can cause cancer with very small amount (some part per billion).

Data/ annual reports (current regulation requires that planning for construction of new hospitals must include a suitable treatment facility) It was recently found a level of 5 or 6 parts per billion in Cai Khe canal - Findings by a study of Bonn Univ.

DoNRE

DoNRE (currently does not have capability to monitor these substances)

Groundwater - Exploitation by wrong technique which leads to infiltration between layers and pollution of underground water resource.

Data/ annual reports

Mineral and Natural Resource Management Office

APPENDIX 4 - OUTPUTS FROM SESSION 3: CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS


APPENDIX 4 - OUTPUTS FROM SESSION 3: CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS

Dimension Climate Change Impacts

Aquatic ecosystems

- Temperature increase will lead to impact to ecology of aqua species will lead to impacts to breeding, migration, and diseases issues.

- hydrological changing (lack of water in dry season, irregular rain and sunshine events) sea water level rising will lead to changing of species

- loss of farmed fish

- urbanisation, industrialisation and climate change impact to ecology, water quality and quantity, and wetlands

Flooding - Regarding sea level rise scenario, flooding and tidal levels in the urban area will become more severe. Flooding damage will vary and be costly because of low and dense building bodies and economic activities.

- Old flooding protection measures such as dyke and sluice gate systems will be malfunctioning since the flooding elevations are higher than the old building benchmarks. New flood protection measures will be costly since average terrain elevation in Can Tho or the Mekong Delta is low (0.3-2 m).

- However, as mentioned, high flooding or tidal level can be utilised to wash out polluted matters

Groundwater - Higher temperature will lead to higher evaporation and plant transpiration rates and hence, more drying up of soils. This will entail higher losses of soil moisture and ground water recharge and greater exposure to desertification and soil erosion; these are all negative impacts for integrity of groundwater storage systems.

- The volume and the quality of ground water always depend directly on recharge conditions. The latter is not only controlled by the amount of annual precipitation, but also governed by land surface characteristics, vegetation cover, and soil properties.

- Projected sea level rise and excessive ground water extraction in coastal areas and on small islands combine to increase the risk of salinity problems in water supplies.

- Ground water will be less directly and more slowly impacts by climate change, as compare to e.g. rivers. This is because rivers get replenished on a shorter time scale, and drought and floods are quickly reflected in river water levels. Ground water, on the other hand, will be affected much slower. Only after prolonged droughts groundwater levels will show declining trends

Infrastructure systems

- Reduced income will lead to poor management will lead to reducing of water resource

- Current management is not good enough will lead to increased severity of problems

Water & sanitation access

- Positive and negative effects: during rainy season: provide ‘cleaner’ water sources, but during dry season, shortage of clean water (even in households with tap water)

- Climate change will impact on water and sanitation access, where more pronounced dry/wet season occurs, especially those who use water from river

- Damage water supply infrastructure

Water quality - Water quality will be most impacted by climate change scenario. Both surface and ground water quality is degraded since pollutants are not diluted or not flushed out to the sea because of a weakening upstream flow (by dam construction). In the other hand saline intrusion increases would influence both surface and ground water. This leads to impact on aqua farming and agricultural production (especially rice crops).

APPENDIX 5 - OUTPUT FROM SESSION 4: GEOGRAPHICALLY REFERENCED ISSUES



WRI Dimension Map Reference

Description of Issue by Workshop Participants Severity (1 – 5; 5 is most severe)

Aquatic ecosystems

A1 Fauna ecosystem; Xáng Thổi Lake in downtown area of Cần thơ city, surface area approx. 3 Ha. This lake suffers from pollution of city’s domestic wastewater effluents. Currently the lake and access canal are dredged and embankments are constructed.

5

Aquatic ecosystems

A2 Flora ecosystem; Búng Xáng canal, behind CTU part, surface area approx. 6 Ha. This canal suffers from Can Tho city urban wastes (Oxygen concentration in water is approx. 0 (zero), no surviving creature); the canal is in natural shape – no human impact.

4

Aquatic ecosystems

A3 Farmed fish; Bò Ót river (Thốt Nốt), farming area approx. 600 Ha. This canal is polluted by catfish farming and from alcohol manufacturing small enterprises.

5

Flooding F1.1 & F1.2 Increasing flooding (by tidal fluctuation) in urban area Damage/effects: transportation, sanitation, health and daily life. Location: An Phu, Tan An (Ninh Kieu) and Bui Huu Nghia (Binh Thuy)

5 (F1.1) & 4 (F1.2)

Flooding F2.1; F2.2 & F2.3

Flooding damage on agriculture and aquaculture. Damage/effects: aquaculture, rice, fruit tree. Location: Vinh Trinh (Vinh Thanh), Bui Huu Nghia (Binh Thuy), Nhon Nghia (Phong Dien)

4 (F2.1); 3 (F2.2) & 4 (F1.3)

Flooding F3.1 & F3.2 River bank erosion in both rural and urban areas. Damage/effects: land, properties, human fatality. Location: Bui Huu Nghia (Binh Thuy), My Khanh (Phong Dien)

3 (F3.1) & 2 (F3.2)

Flooding F4 Poor drainage capacity due to urbanization, construction, surface water area reduced and sea level rise 2

Groundwater systems

G1.1; G1.2 & G1.3

Ground water reserve (water contain layers, capacity). Number of exploitation wells (household, rural water supply stations, small enterprise and handicraft). Location: G1.1 - Tra Noc Industrial Parks 1&2 (borewell); G1.2 - Thot Not Industrial Park (borewell); and. G1.3 - Ninh Kieu Dis. (extraction).

3 (G1.1); 2 (G1.2) & 2 (G1.3)



Groundwater systems

G2.1 & G2.2

Pollution (COD, Hardness, Iron) 16 stations x 3 borewells x 3 layers. Location: G2.1 - Cai Rang Landfill (pollution) ; and, G2.2 - NinhKieu Dis. (pollution)

3 (G2.1) & 2 (G2.2)

Groundwater systems

G3 Water resource protection policy (Decision No.15 to protect underground water resource) -

Water Quality Q1 From Tra Noc to Phuoc Thoi areas. Particularly in Sang Trang and Cai Chom canals;Wastewater from industrial parks

5

Water Quality Q2 Around Ninh Kieu District. Particularly in Cai Khe and Tham Tuong canals. Pollutions/waste/wastewater from domestic households, hospitals, markets …

4

Water Quality Q3 Thot Not District (especially Tan Loc island). Pollutions from aquaculture industry (Mostly from fish ponds). There are no wastewater treatment systems in most fish ponds. Fish product processing factories (around Thot Not) do not have wastewater treatment systems or if they have, those treatment systems are not in operation. There is one alcohol factory that discharges directly into surrounding environment creating a very high COD level and killing all fish (Vàm Bà Ót)

3

Water and Sanitation Access

W1 (Availability): Ô Môn & Cái Răng: new urban districts are in their transition stages, thus some issues in water availability (tap water) appears in the newly urbanized areas. Thốt nốt is one among districts locating along Hậu River (a vulnerable/risk place in tap water availability).

-


W2 (Economic status): Ô Môn, Cái Răng, Bình Thủy: possibility of gap between rich and poor from influencing of urbanisation --> there will be many differences in mode of access.

-


W3 (Potable water source - an important criterion for sanitation): urbanization levels: Ninh Kiều --> Ô Môn --> Thốt Nốt: contrast urbanization stages --> different living standards --> different sources for potable water.

-

Infrastructure Condition

I1 Water supply loss: pipeline leakage (junction, meter, construction site. Location: Ô môn,; Ninh Kiều; and, remaining districts

5 - Ô môn,

4 - Ninh Kiều

3 - Remaining districts




I4 Waste water treatment plant. Location: Bình Thủy. part of Trà Nóc; Ninh Kiều; and, remaining districts 5 - Bình Thủy. part of Trà Nóc

4 - Ninh Kiều

3 - remaining districts


I6 Untreated waste water sludge from dredging activities: All are untreated, mostly coming from downtown area of Cần Thơ. Location: Ninh Kiều; and, remaining districts

5 - Ninh Kiều

4 - remaining districts

APPENDIX 6 – SUMMARY OF SESSION 5: OUTPUTS FROM 4 GROUPS


APPENDIX 6 – SUMMARY OF SESSION 5: OUTPUTS FROM 4 G ROUPS

What insights have your discussion today given you

How will climate change impact on these dimensions

How will this change into the future – in light of urban developments

What is the relative importance of these

dimensions

We can understand about water resources and pollution level of the whole Can Tho City. From these we can think of method and measures to reduce pollution

Protection measures are necessary for ground water from loads of pollution and for a reasonable exploitation, especially at the borewells.

This project is necessary, and if possible it should be proceeded a.s.a.p to reduce water risks and assist Can Tho city to prepare its incoming water resource management planning

Through the workshop we know where would be the most risky bearing area in water resource, and the place where we can access for correct data. For those who are managers they now know which matters are important then put out adequate priorities.

Climate change impacts on all 6 dimensions. However we think the most impact will be on water quality (I), then infrastructure (II) that would be affected in big flooding events, and next is flooding itself (III)

Urbanisation will have an overall impact on 6 dimensions. Since demand of clean water increases in urban areas, water access (water access -I) will be the first most concern. Then wastewater discharging in concentrated urban area will increase, this would impact to quality of water resources if there is not a good treatment system (water quality, II).

Flooding level (flooding, III) will be higher if water regulation lakes and water discharging canals are not available.

1. Water quality

2. flooding

3. Aquatic ecosystem

4. infrastructure

5. water access

6. groundwater

Interesting approach to identify issues and data sources

Studying topic suits much to local demand

Help seeing broad view, overall solution

Need more discussion time

Multidiscipline

Earn of living

Poor management

Reducing of water resource

urbanisation

Poor management

Increase the severeness of issue

1. Infrastructure

2. Water access

3. Water quality


5. Groundwater

6. Flooding

APPENDIX 6 – SUMMARY OF SESSION 5: OUTPUTS FROM 4 GROUPS


Climate change

urbanisation

water resource risk

Reducing of water access

More severe flooding

Reducing of bio-diversity in the hydrological area

Reducing of water quality

Increasing pressure over ground water usage

Increasing pressure over infrastructure

Increasing of urbanisation

Increasing of water resource risk

1. Water access

2. Water quality

3. Infrastructure

4. Flood


6. Groundwater

Water is an important issue in 21th century, planning must be synchronised

Water quality

infrastructure

access

Reducing of water quality

Necessity of more investment to infrastructure

Access: high risk

1. Water quality

2. infrastructure

3. access

Water Risk Index Workshop in Can Tho, Vietnam

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