Water Governance and Transboundary Data Sharing in the Lower Mekong Region: A Case Study of Yali Hydropower Dam, Vietnam

In recent years, economic growth has led to massive urban sprawl, intensive agricultural production, and environmental degradation and losses in Vietnam. In the Lower Mekong Basin, including a part of Central Highland of Vietnam, agricultural production, urban growth, unsustainable resources management (water and soil), and industrial activities are the potential polluters to the regional environment. Environmental taxes and fees based on the ‘Polluter Pays Principles” (PPP) are the key to regulating human interference in the environment. However, PPP’s efficiencies are dependent on the ability to track the pollutants and polluters using spaceborne/airborne monitoring sensors, ground stations, and field sampling. In Vietnam’s rural and mountainous areas, monitoring networks and data are scarce despite efforts to invest in environmental monitoring system for years. In this research, we examined the use of bio-optical models (i.e., Ocean Colour (OC) and Case 2 Regional Coast Colour (C2RCC) methods) and remotely sensed analyses (i.e., Landsat 5, 7, 8 & 9 data) for the case of the environmental incidents in the Yali hydropower dam, Chu Pa, Gia Lai, Vietnam in 2022 and 2009. The research’s outputs emphasized the need to revise the approach for environmental monitoring and environmental protection in Viet Nam and transboundary data sharing for water governance in the Mekong Region.