Each rainy season, the Mekong River Delta receives flood flow from the upstream of the Mekong River. Floods in the Mekong Region are beneficial for agriculture and fisheries productivity, but high floods also result in the losses of life and property. Records of flood losses show that children were at high risk. The “Living together with floods” strategy of the government and the people should also help prevent children from drowning. This paper reviews the situation and risks leading to children drowning during the flood season and recommends solutions to secure for the children’s lives. | The International Development Studies Conference on "Mainstreaming Human Security: The Asian Contributiuon" in Bangkok, October 4-5, 2007 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHILDREN SECURITY AS PART OF THE “LIVING TOGETHER WITH FLOODS” STRATEGY IN THE MEKONG RIVER DELTA, VIETNAM Le Anh Tuan E-mail: latuan@ Tel: + 539 Fax: +. 831 151 Department of Environmental and Water Resources Engineering, College of Technology, Can Tho University Campus II, Street 3/2, Can Tho City Vietnam Abstract Each rainy season, the Mekong River Delta receives flood flow from the upstream of the Mekong River. Floods in the Mekong Region are beneficial for agriculture and fisheries productivity, but high floods also result in the losses of life and property. Records of flood losses show that children were at high risk. The “Living together with floods” strategy of the government and the people should also help prevent children from drowning. This paper reviews the situation and risks leading to children drowning during the flood season and recommends solutions to secure for the children’s lives. Key words: Mekong River Delta, floods, downing, children security, solution. 1. FLOODS IN THE MEKONG DELTA The Mekong River Delta, the most downstream section of the Mekong River, is known as the "rice bowl" of Vietnam (Figure 1). Due to its location, the delta receives the total volume of floodwaters from upstream. Annual flooding is a recurrent feature of life, nature and in the Mekong River Delta. Each year, water overflows from the main river channel and overland from Cambodia across the Vietnam border. Viewed from the sky, it is easy to identify the extension of flood inundated areas in the : The Mekong River Delta Long Xuyen quadrangle and the Plain of Reeds, the lands between Tien River and the Hau River and the numerous stream and canal system that flood water flow .
