Climate Change Adaptation Indicators to Assess Wastewater Management and Reuse Options in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Climate change adaptation indicators have played a critical role in the increased understanding of potential climate change impacts. In this research, 6 climate change adaptation indicators were identified for Can Tho City in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam: (1) Rice production from wastewater during winter-spring crop; (2) % of irrigation water demand satisfied by treated wastewater; (3) % of nutrient demand satisfied by treated wastewater; (4) % remaining flow downstream of Can Tho in the Hau River; (5) environmental benefits; and (6) total investment cost for wastewater treatment. These indices were selected to assess various options/strategies for wastewater management and reuse in Can Tho City as a means to improve the City’s resilience to climate change. From an environmental perspective, this study shows the benefits for Can Tho City to set up a strategy to treat and reuse wastewater from catfish farming as the priority among four assessed scenarios with different climate change impact factors. It is concluded that adaptation can be assessed by the indicators because they can define whether adaptation policies and measures are implemented and whether vulnerability is reduced through effective actions. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013