Children security as part of the living together with floods strategy in the Mekong river delta, VietNam

Each rainy season, the Mekong River Delta receives flood flow from the upstream of the Mekong River. Floods in the Mekong Region are beneficial for agriculture and fisheries productivity, but high floods also result in the losses of life and property. Records offlood losses show that children were at high risk. The “Living together with floods” strategy of the government and the people should also help prevent children from drowning. This paper reviews the situation and risks leading to children drowning during the flood season and recommends solutions to secure for the children’s lives.......
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Children security as part of the " living together with floods" strategy in the Mekong river delta, VietNamThe International Development Studies Conference onMainstreaming Human Security: The Asian Contributiuon in Bangkok, October 4-5, 2007--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHILDREN SECURITY AS PART OF THE “LIVING TOGETHER WITH FLOODS” STRATEGY IN THE MEKONG RIVER DELTA, VIETNAM Le Anh Tuan E-mail: latuan@ctu.edu.vn Tel: +84.71.834 539 Fax: +84.71. 831 151 Department of Environmental and Water Resources Engineering, College of Technology, Can Tho University Campus II, Street 3/2, Can Tho City VietnamAbstractEach rainy season, the Mekong River Delta receives flood flow from the upstream of theMekong River. Floods in the Mekong Region are beneficial for agriculture and fisheriesproductivity, but high floods also result in the losses of life and property. Records offlood losses show that children were at high risk. The “Living together with floods”strategy of the government and the people should also help prevent children fromdrowning. This paper reviews the situation and risks leading to children drowning duringthe flood season and recommends solutions to secure for the children’s lives.Key words: Mekong River Delta, floods, downing, children security, solution.1. FLOODS IN THE MEKONG DELTA The Mekong River Delta, the most downstream section of the Mekong River, is known as the rice bowl of Vietnam (Figure 1). Due to its location, the delta receives the total volume of floodwaters from upstream. Annual flooding is a recurrent feature of life, nature and in the Mekong River Delta. Each year, water overflows from the main river channel and overland from Cambodia across the Vietnam border. Viewed from the sky, it is easy to identify the extension of flood inundated areas in the Fig.1: The Mekong River Delta Long Xuyen quadrangle and the Plain of Reeds, the landsbetween Tien River and the Hau River and the numerous stream and canal system thatflood water flow laterally over to the low areas. The flooded area ranges from 1.2 to 1.4million of ha in years of low and medium flooding, and around 1.9 million of ha in year of---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1LE ANH TUAN, CanTho University, VietnamThe International Development Studies Conference onMainstreaming Human Security: The Asian Contributiuon in Bangkok, October 4-5, 2007---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------high flooding (Socialist Republic of Vietnam [SRV], 2005). Flood waters start in July,increase gradually in August-September, and peak in October before falling in November(Figures 2).Based on the peak water level at TanChau Gauging Station of An Giangprovince, hydrologists consider that a lowflood occurs when the flood peak in TanChau is less than 4.0 m, moderate floodsoccur when the flood peak is between 4.0and 4.5 m, and high floods occur whenthe flood peak is more than 4.5 m. Highfloods are caused when threesimultaneous factors happen: large waterdischarges originating from upstream as aresult of typhoons or tropical lowpressures; long and heavy rainfall in theMD itself; and high tides that lead high Fig. 2: Flood area in Cambodia and thewater levels in the rivers and canals Mekong Delta (Yamashita, 2005)system preventing easy drainage (Tuan,Guido, Viet & Haest, 2004). Given the water level of more than 4.20 m at Tan Chau, theMD has exceeded emergency flood conditions 22 times since 1926 - 2006 (Figure 3). Peak Water Levels in TanChau (1926 - 2005) 600 500 400 P e a k s (c m ) 300 200 100 0 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 ...