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Managing groundwater access in the Central Highlands Vietnam

This research paper looks at the current levels of groundwater use in Tay Nguyen and whether they are sustainable.

Evidence to suggest that current levels of groundwater use are unsustainable include:

Population growth and intensified agricultural practices in the region have increased demand for groundwater as input into productive activities and domestic uses.

While the Central Highlands has become a key supplier of agricultural and forestry produce to domestic and international markets over the past four decades, and is the country's leading coffee producing region, it has done so in an environment of increasing dry season water scarcity.

During the dry season from January to May, groundwater is the main water source for all activities in many areas due to limited and stochastic surface water availability. Tay Nguyen has the highest drought index in Vietnam with droughts occurring annually since 1980 and with increasingly high severity every five years.

 

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