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Human-water inteactions in Myanmar's river basins under climate change

Poster · March 2016

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.1.3000.2327

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2 authors:

Linda Taft Mariele Evers

Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe University of Bonn
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 Human-water interactions in Myanmar’s river basins
under climate change
Linda Taft, Mariele Evers
University of Bonn, Department of Geography

Scope
Understanding human-water interactions
is particular essential in countries where
the economy and the people’s well-being
and income strongly depend on the
availability and quality of sufficient water b)
resources.
Such a strong dependency on water is
the case in Myanmar (Fig.1). The mighty Fig.2
Ayeyarwady River is called the life line of a)
the nation and the country’s agriculture
a) Delta
is mainly located within the fertile river b) Dry zone
basin and its large delta area. Myanmar
is recently facing big challenges which
result from comprehensive political and
economic reforms. These may also
include increasing water use by new
industrial zones and urbanization. Fig.1

Climate variability is another essential

driver within human-water systems. a) Fig.3
Myanmar’s climate is influenced by the
Indian Monsoon which is subject to
interannual and regional variability.
Particularly the Ayeyarwady delta
(Fig.1a) and the central dry zone (Fig.
1b) are prone to serious droughts and
extreme flood events.
b)
Aims
The overarching goal of our pre-study
Fig.4
research project is to understand and
Fig.2: Rice paddies and
increase the knowledge on human- pumping system (right)
water-climate interactions and to in the delta.
Fig.3: Groundwater
elaborate possible future scenarios for irrigation in the
Ayeyarwady floodplain
Myanmar’s river basins. It is not well in the dry zone.
Fig.4: Non-perennial
studied yet, how current and future tributary of the
climate change and increasing human First results Ayeyarwady in the dry
zone.
impact will influence the country’s Fig.5: Individual groundwater
abstraction in a village in the
abundant water resources. of our pre-study show for the delta area: dry zone.

• Increasing saltwater intrusion due to All pictures and Fig.1: L. Taft

Methods lower river discharge during the dry
Contact:
season Dr. Linda Taft Fig.5
The following methods have been used • Possibly higher flood magnitudes and Prof. Dr. Mariele Evers
for our pre-study: frequencies in the future
University of Bonn, Department of
Identification of major drivers within • Climate variabilities as a result of global
• Geography
the Ayeyarwady River basin extreme events (e.g. El Niño) Meckenheimer Allee 166
• Priority: coast and delta protection 53115 Bonn
• Collection and analyzes of data sets: (floods, storm surges, cyclones)
ltaft@[Link],
hydrologic and eco-hydrologic for the dry zone:
[Link]@[Link]
(discharge, sediment load, river • Trend to higher max. temperatures
biology), climate, anthropologic during the summer months (March-May) Acknowledgements
(water use, water management, dam • Rainfall variability
projects, land use) • Groundwater abstraction for irrigation The authors are grateful to the Deutsche
• Interviews with local authorities, and domestic use Forschungsgemeinschaft DFG for
farmers, NGOs • Priority: Water availability, adaptation to funding and Moe Moe Than Win for her
droughts, food security, flood risk along help preparing and conducting the field
• Literature survey, remote sensing the river trip to Myanmar in February 2016.

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