Sustainable water resources management in the Long Bien district of Hanoi, Vietnam

Abstract

The accelerated industrialization of Hanoi, Vietnam, coupled with a high population growth rate and changing climatic conditions create increasing pressure on the local water balance. Despite abundant precipitations, overexploitation endangers the groundwater resources, which are not able to sustain an adequate water supply. The present paper presents a sustainable approach for balancing the lowering of groundwater levels by increasing the rainwater percolation rates through enhanced infiltration. The efficiency of the method was assessed by a scenario analysis based on hydrological and hydrogeological models. Multi-criteria simulations revealed the optimum infiltration sites by considering technical and site-specific aspects and the positive impact of artificial recharge on seasonal groundwater budget.