Author(s): Tran Viet On; Nguyen Cao Don; Nguyen Minh Hang; Thi Van Le Khoa
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Keywords: Red River Delta; Hydrodynamics; Salinity intrusion; Numerical models
Abstract: The Red River is second largest river in Vietnam and one of the five largest rivers on the of East Asia coast. Its catchment covers parts of China and Vietnam. The Red River Delta (RRD) of Vietnam is the second biggest delta in Vietnam and is the cradle of the Vietnamese nation. The delta is the flat plain formed by the Red River and its distributaries joining in the Thai Binh River in northern Vietnam. It is an agriculturally rich area and densely populated. By the rich natural resources and favorable natural conditions, RRD has become an area of active economic development and high population density. In the RRD, there are important economic activities. Water supply to irrigation is mostly from the river network system. However, due to water fluctuation and salinity intrusion constrain, water supply to agriculture is limited. In this paper, we simulate hydrodynamic flow and salinity intrusion in the entire Red River system. River flow and water levels fluctuates very much depending on tidal condition and upsteam reservoir operation. Salinity intrusion into the river system is serious, especially during dry seasons. The average intrusion in some main river from its mouth can be dozens of km. Structural measures should be proposed to minimize the effect from salinity intrusion while maximizing water intake capacity of some intakes for irrigation during dry seasons.
Year: 2014