Investigating of freshwater resources used in the buffer zone community of U Minh Thuong National Park
Abstract
The study was aimed at assessing the current status of household water use and analyzing the relationship with water regulation services of the ecosystem of U Minh Thuong National Park. The study conducted 39 samples of in-depth interviews with households in the buffer zone and U Minh Thuong managers combined with secondary data in the park as well as consulting experts with many years of experience. The results show that rainwater in the area is redundant in the rainy season (average 280 mm/month) and at risk of shortage in the dry season (average 60 mm/month). Surface water stored in canals and ditches is also quite abundant, about 5,248,055 m3. Groundwater has a large volume with aquifer thickness reaching 184.68 m. Domestic water use is mainly from groundwater (92%), river water (8%), and 5% combination of rainwater and groundwater. A few households use groundwater for farming. Fresh water sources in the area are facing many problems such as groundwater contaminated with alum, river water prone to organic pollution in the dry season. Under the context of climate change impacts, the role of water regulation of the wetland ecosystem in U Minh Thuong is crucial to help reduce local flooding in the rainy season, wash salt water, and clean up the river early at the end of the dry season. However, in order to enhance the efficiency of providing ecosystem services, U Minh Thuong needs to integrate the calculation of water balance for the entire buffer zone.
