DNP Water, a subsidiary for water solution under the Dong Nai Plastic Construction JSC., has launched a new mobile application in collaboration with Thuyloi (Water Resources) University in Ho Chi Minh City for real-time forecast of water and salinity levels in the river network of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta.

The tech solution, entitled Real-time Simulation System for the Mekong River Delta (MRSS), debuted during a conference on saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta held at the Thuyloi University last week.

The simulation of the Mekong Delta’s canal system in MRSS was developed on the MIKE 11 Hydrodynamic module powered by the Danish Hydraulic Institute, said Dr. Nghiem Tien Lam, leader of the development team.

The software provides forecasts of saline intrusion on the branches of the Mekong River in Vietnam via its built-in simulation, which calculates the variation of water flow, quality, and sediment transport at the inlets, irrigation systems, canals, and other streams of the Mekong Delta.

The development team has collected records of water and salinity levels between 2016 and 2020 from nearly 20 tracking stations, as well as data from the Dong Tam Water Plant in Tien Giang Province and Nhi Thanh Water Plant in Long An Province, both in the Mekong Delta, to form a database for the simulation.

“Our software amends many issues on time and space calculations from previous solutions," Nguyen Tien Lam said.

"Instead of only reporting the maximum value from important locations, [MRSS] is able to forecast water and salinity levels in any location of the Mekong Delta for the next month, with updates on an hourly basis."

The system is currently informing DNP Water of salinity and the development of saltwater intrusion of the Mekong Delta, which optimizes the firm’s water manufacturing operations.

Based on initial responses, the Thuyloi University will continue their research, update numbers, and tweak the functions of MRSS to cater precise reports on Mekong Delta water to locals and authorities.

According to Tran Anh Tuan, deputy president of the Vietnam Water Supply and Sewerage Association, commended the MRSS development team during the meeting for their efforts.

Proving useful for Mekong Delta residents and officials, the software provides a solid database for researching, forecasting, and taking action against climate change.

According to Vu Anh Tuan, deputy CEO of DNP Water, MRSS is available to the public at the weblink http://waterdata.vn/mekong/mrss and on the Mekong MRSS app of Google Play.

The Mekong Delta has seen the intensity of drought and saline intrusion heighten over the past years, which has significantly impeded agricultural production and people and firms in the region.

During the 2019-20 dry season, 10 out of 13 provinces and cities of the delta have reported damage from salinity and drought, with a total of 80,000 hectares of fruit farms and nearly 60,000 hectares of rice fields affected.

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