Resolving the conflict between the need for electricity generation upstream and the water supply for economic development downstream in the Ca River Basin, Vietnam

• Published in: Journal of water and climate change 2024-11, Vol.15 (11), p.5557
• Main Authors: Nguyen Thien, Dung, Luong, Chung Ngoc
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural production; Bans; Climate change; Dams; Dan protein; Domestic water; Downstream; Dry season; Economic development; Economics; Electricity; Floods; Hydroelectric plants; Hydroelectric power; Hydroelectric power generation; Hydroelectricity; Hydrology; Industrial development; Irrigation; Irrigation water; Minimum flow; Provinces; Reservoirs; River basin development; River basins; Rivers; Sea level; Socioeconomic aspects; Upstream; Water demand; Water discharge; Water level fluctuations; Water levels; Water resources; Water shortages; Water supply; Water use
• ISSN: 2040-2244; 2408-9354
• DOI: 10.2166/wcc.2024.609

Vietnam has vigorously developed hydroelectric reservoirs in main river basins with hydroelectricity reserves to produce electricity and exploit and use water resources efficiently and minimally – risks to meet socio-economic development requirements – in the downstream area. The study has shown evidence that the water level's daily mean value of the Ca River is increasingly reduced. However, the number of occurrences of the daily minimum flow was more than that of the period when it was not hydropower reservoirs and was affected by climate change. The study calculated and built five scenarios for water use in the downstream areas. These scenarios are calculated based on the water demand for domestic, industry, irrigation, and water sea level. A simulation model was developed for optimal hydropower generation of reservoir system upstream and forced to discharge downstream with five scenarios. This study's results demonstrated that four upstream reservoirs could operate with scenario 3 corresponding HNam Dan = 0.7 m. The results suggested options for the operation of hydroelectric reservoirs and simultaneously developed scenarios for taking water for agricultural irrigation downstream of the Ca River Basin with water level for irrigation drains and domestic water factories. The benefit of electricity in four reservoirs in scenario 3 reached 1,009 billion Vietnamese Dong (VND).