Water is possible our most precious natural resources. Abundance and quality of water drivers all human systems and those of most other organisms as well (Isobel , 1998). | CHALLENGES OF WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT FOR DOWNSTREAM LIVELIHOOD OF THE LOWER MEKONG DELTA, VIETNAM Tran Thi Trieu1*, Le Anh Tuan1**, Mira Kakonen2 1 Department of Environmental and Water Resources Engineering (DEWRE) College of Technology (CoT), Can Tho Unversity (CTU) Campus II, 3/2 street, Can Tho City, Vietnam Corresponding e-mail: * tttrieu@, ** latuan@ 2 Water Resources Laboratory, Helsinki University of Technology Tietotie 1E, 02150 Espoo, Finland --- oOo --- Abstract The Lower Mekong River Delta (MD), in Vietnam, covers nearly 4 millions hectares and currently supports more than 17 million people living along main rivers and canals and other water bodies. The MD is considered as the country’s most productive agricultural and aquaculture area. Any change in upstream of the Mekong River effects sensitively to the livelihood of people in downstream. A survey on challenges to which downstream grass-level people faces for their water resources management was taken in a downstream district of Tien Giang province. Water related problems were raised, ranked and finally recommendations for solution are given. The most water problem effecting to local livelihood is the polluted water from upstream users. The water resources management for this area needs a coordination among many related organizations in many levels, supports of national legislation as well as the regional and provincial water resources planning. Key words: challenges, Mekong Delta, livelihood, water-related problems. 1. Introduction Water is possible our most precious natural resources. Abundance and quality of water drivers all human systems and those of most other organisms as well (Isobel W. Hathcote, 1998). The MD is really a big rice bowl of Vietnam and an important aquatic and transportation resources of the delta people. It thanks to abundant water resources with alluvium in large scale and complex irrigation canal systems of the Mekong River. Yet, over the past ten .
