Reservoir Operation for Recession Agriculture in Mekong Basin, Laos
Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 141, Issue 7
Abstract
As hydropower dam construction in rapidly growing economies dislodges communities, rural development experts must help the displaced make their livelihoods in new lacustrine environments. One question is whether the dam infrastructure can directly benefit those who remain within the vicinity of the reservoir. Integrated water resource management seeks to concurrently consider hydrological, socioeconomic, and ecological factors, yet water managers lack the information needed to include livelihoods in their analyses. The objective of this paper is to develop tools and plans for coordinating hydropower reservoir operation and management for rural livelihoods. Specifically, this study investigates how dam management may accommodate vegetable farming on the banks of a reservoir. The intervention investigated is to lower water levels during the cultivation period in order to expose shoreline gardens. Based on the recession agriculture rule, evaluated through simulation of a dam in Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the average annual hydropower production was reduced by between 0.4 and 8.1%, depending on the agricultural goal, with the loss to power occurring mainly in the months April to June. By focusing on hydropower reservoir systems, the techniques developed in this study have the potential to be applied to support communities throughout the world that farm on the shorelines of water reservoirs.
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Acknowledgments
The National Science Foundation provided funds for this research through a Doctoral Dissertation Enhancement Program Award 1122502. The Explorer’s Club Washington Group also provided assistance. The authors are grateful to the Theun Hinboun Power Company for sharing data and their vision of the dam operation. The Mekong River Commission contributed data for this project. This research was proposed as part of the Challenge Program for Water and Food Mekong 1 (MK1) project on optimizing reservoir management for local livelihoods led by the International Water Management Institute.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 141 • Issue 7 • July 2015
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 25, 2014
Accepted: Aug 5, 2014
Published online: Sep 8, 2014
Discussion open until: Feb 8, 2015
Published in print: Jul 1, 2015
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