Flood vulnerability and resilience in peri-urbanizing Vietnam: A case study from Ninh Binh province

Abstract

Vietnam has experienced massive peri-urbanization in recent decades. Its level of urbanization increased from 19.6% in 2009 to 36.6% in 2016. Peri-urban areas are caught between development and conservation needs, between economic development and environmental protection, and between cultural preservation and sustainable development. In the context of more frequent extreme weather events, rapid peri-urbanization puts higher stress on local water systems and resources. This chapter examines the vulnerabilities and challenges from the flooding that communities face in the peri-urban area of the city of Ninh Binh. Qualitative and quantitative data from household interviews, group discussion, and key informant interviews found that flooding is annually 70–80 cm high and lasts up to one week in the village and its surrounding areas. Flooding forces villagers to abandon cultivated land which adversely affects incomes. Flood damage is made worse by sewage water from the Khanh Phu Industrial Zone that spreads throughout Phu Hao village, killing cattle and fish. Surface water is severely polluted during the rainy season and polluted water has caused water-borne diseases. Unplanned, unregulated building along with underdeveloped water infrastructures for supply, sanitation, storm drainage, and pollution pose severe challenges to the area’s already strained adaptive capacity.