The precious sand of the Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta in Vietnam, a vital ecosystem and a lifeline for millions, faces severe threats. Excessive sand mining for the construction boom is causing dramatic land loss and ecological damage. Bosch Power Tools is supporting WWF Germany in finding sustainable solutions to this critical challenge.
With an area spanning around four million hectares, the Mekong Delta in Vietnam is one of the largest river deltas in the world. It was formed around 10,000 years ago during the last ice age; sand and gravel was continually deposited there as it flowed down from the upper reaches of the River Mekong. Today, the banks of the Mekong are densely populated, with rice fields and thousands of irrigation canals permeating the landscape. Around 50 percent of the rice harvest, almost 60 percent of fishing, and 18 percent of Vietnam’s economic output is generated there. Only a few natural wetlands remain. WWF has set itself the task of protecting them – and Power Tools is supporting their efforts.
Vietnam’s sand rush
The Delta has been showing conspicuous changes for some years now. “We had been receiving more and more reports of bank erosion and we detected the influence of salty seawater over 150 km away from the estuary,” says Anh Ha Huy, project manager at the WWF in Vietnam. While it’s true that climate change is making sea levels rise, the changes to the delta were so drastic that there had to be another cause. Anh Ha Huy and other scientists soon had their suspicions, because the Mekong Delta harbors another valuable resource: sand.
Large dredgers pump out the sand from the riverbed; this sand is then used as a building material for concrete and mortar, or to fill the land in growing cities. And indeed, satellite images show that the sediment load of the Mekong has decreased significantly since the early 2000s – mainly owing to the growing extraction of sand and the expansion of hydropower in the upper reaches of the river. The situation is serious. If the extraction of river sand continues unabated, the existing fossil sand deposits will be completely depleted within ten years. Anh Ha Huy from WWF puts it drastically: “The Mekong Delta is under threat – it will sink into the sea if we don’t act!”
WWF researches for the Mekong
But how can we stop the Delta from sinking? The WWF is bringing people from the worlds of politics, business, and science together to give this sensitive topic a prominent platform. In order to reach decision-makers, a solid scientific data basis is required. This is why the WWF has launched a project to determine the sediment budget of the Mekong, working together with various research institutions. Temporary measuring stations were set up in the river to determine the flow velocity, sediment transport, and other hydrological parameters. Mathematical modeling was used to calculate and predict geomorphological* changes. The results are sobering: currently, 55 million cubic meters of sand, as much as three million truckloads, are extracted from the Mekong every year to meet the demand of the construction boom. However, each year only around four million cubic meters of new sediment load enter the Delta from the river’s upper reaches. This is having a massive impact: collapsing river banks, erosion, and the progressive sinking of the Delta not only endanger the fragile ecosystem, but around 500,000 people are also directly threatened by the loss of their homes.
55 million cubic meters of sand
are extracted from the Mekong every year to meet the demand of the construction boom.
Alternatives to river sand
A geomorphological stability plan was developed on the basis of the WWF’s research findings. The local Minerals Act has also been revised and now takes sand mining into account. “Thanks to this scientific data, I think we have opened the eyes of many decision-makers to how serious the situation is,” says Anh. But protecting the Mekong Delta remains a difficult task, as the construction boom in Vietnam continues and the hunger for sand remains unabated. “Unfortunately, sea sand is not very suitable as a building material – the grains of sand are too round and do not have the same physical building properties as their more angular counterparts from the Mekong,” explains Anh. The WWF is therefore investigating whether there are more environmentally-friendly alternatives. These include primary and secondary materials such as rice husk and sugar cane ash, crushed sand, and industrial waste materials such as construction waste from demolition sites. The latter of those are particularly promising. “Unlike in Germany, there are hardly any 100-year-old residential buildings in Vietnam and it’s not uncommon for the demolition excavator to turn up after just 30 years,” says Anh. Recycling construction waste could therefore be a viable alternative to help conserve sand resources in the Delta. “It’s a pioneering experiment – and not just for Vietnam,” adds the WWF associate.
*Geomorphology is the science of the shapes of the earth’s surface; it explores how they are created, how they change, and the processes that shape them, such as weathering, erosion, deposition, and the effects of water, wind, and ice.
Questions for the WWF
Dr. Stefan Ziegler is a biologist and responsible for projects in Southeast Asia at WWF Germany. He has been working for the WWF for over 20 years and has led numerous projects in the area of plastic waste and marine pollution.
Stefan, why is the WWF providing support in the Mekong Delta in particular?
The Mekong Delta not only provides a valuable habitat for flora and fauna – millions of people also live in this vulnerable region. The widespread extraction of sand is endangering the livelihoods of both people and nature. What’s more, Europe and Germany can learn a great deal from the pioneering approaches of testing alternative building materials and recycling construction waste on a large scale.
How is the project organized in the region?
With its project office in Ho Chi Minh City, WWF Vietnam has a direct on-site presence and is also close to political and economic stakeholders. Our staff work closely with the governments of the provincial regions, the Mekong River Commission, and the Ministry for Agriculture and Environmental Protection. The WWF promotes dialog between the worlds of politics, business, and the residents of the region through extensive press coverage and interactive exchange with science and the public.
What are the main aims of the project?
The overall project aim is to reduce the vulnerability of the Mekong Delta to climate change and its socio-economic consequences by reducing unsustainable sand mining, thereby slowing the decline of the Delta. The plan is to develop criteria for sustainable building materials together with experts, trade associations, and the government. By 2027, we will take even more important steps for the market launch and use of sustainable aggregates in the construction sector.
What is the project’s biggest success so far?
The WWF and its partners have analyzed the problem scientifically for the first time and researched possible alternatives to sand extraction. Thanks to this data, the topic received a great deal of attention from the business community, the public, and, in particular, from politicians. This is an extremely important tool for progress; we have succeeded in ensuring that sediment mining is included in legislation and that the development of an infrastructure for alternative building materials is specifically promoted. Our work here can also serve as a model for other countries.
Summary
The WWF project, supported by Bosch Power Tools, highlights the severe consequences of sand mining: the Mekong delta is sinking, endangering people and nature. Through scientific research, policy advocacy, and the exploration of alternatives like recycled construction waste, the project aims to protect the ecosystem and promote sustainable building materials.
