ZEF
 
Universität Bonn
 
Please find the
concerted homepage of the
WISDOM project network at
www.wisdom.caf.dlr.de
 

Water-related Information System for the Sustainable Development of the Mekong Delta, WISDOM



 


Keywords

Water resources management, Knowledge management, institutions and policies, socio-economic development

 

Countries

Vietnam

 

Objectives

The overall goal of the WISDOM project is to design and implement a platform for the collection, exchange and processing of water-related information for the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. The system will contain information from various fields, such as hydrology, sociology, information technology and earth observation and will provide operational services for water resources management agencies and other users in the project region. Hereby the WISDOM Project aims o enhance data sharing as well as cross-sector and regional cooperation and promote the implementation of an integrated water resources management (IWRM) approach for the Mekong Delta.

 

Activities

The Center for Development Research ZEF is contributing the social science background and perspective to the project. ZEF’s core task is to implement the project’s work package on knowledge and water management (WP 2000), which addresses the specific challenges, policies and practices of water resources management in Vietnam and, more precisely, the Mekong Delta.


With regard to the specific challenges, statistical data on socio-economic transformation processes are being collected. Data analysis focuses on the impact of these processes (economic growth, urbanization, industrialization and modernization) on water usage and consumption patterns as well as water quality. Moreover, local adaptation strategies and related changes of the specific waterborne livelihoods of the Mekong Delta are examined.
Another branch of research investigates the institutional and policy framework of water resources management, related sector reforms and knowledge production in the field.

Intensive fieldwork on the implementation of policies and reforms as well as knowledge dissemination and sharing is undertaken. In view of understanding water resources management practices, case studies are carried out in Can Tho City – located in the heart of the Mekong Delta. These case studies allow identifying the variety of actors as well as their respective level of engagement and interaction at different scales of operation. Specific attention is given to the interface of state management, private businesses, research organisations, water user groups and, to a certain extent, donors. 

In the following, a number of sub-projects of the work package are listed:

  • Flood control: Planning and implementation of dyke systems
  • Water supply: Policy and implementation in rural areas
  • Water engineering: Changing interfaces between water bureaucracies and hydraulic construction businesses
  • Water research: Knowledge production, knowledge assets and regional collaboration
  • Decentralization and Participation: Local water management and water user groups
  • Water legislation: Legal framework and law enforcement
  • Regulation of water quality and the aquaculture sector Knowledge management in  the water sector
  • Local Industrialization and Water
  • The social impact of water Quality on health

In addition to the various research activities, government documents are systematically collected and processed in view of developing a comprehensive database on relevant state management and research organisations and respective  policy and  legal papers. This database constitutes the core of the “Yellow Pages†tool of the water information system, which aims at bridging institutional boundaries and address existing knowledge sharing challenges in the country.


In terms of research output, a series of academic writings are produced; these include 10 PhD theses to be published in form of books, as well as working papers and journal articles. Publications are done in English and Vietnamese and a dissemination strategy, in particular for Vietnam, has been developed. These products also aim at strengthening the linkages of interdisciplinary research and contributing to current scientific debates on IWRM and sustainable development in Vietnam and beyond.


With regard to knowledge management, a series of capacity building measures are being implemented. In a long-term perspective, a knowledge management training module will be developed and institutionalised so that local capacity can be systematically built. Furthermore, stakeholder trainings for water resources management agencies aim at improving knowledge management practices and facilitate the technical implementation of the information system.

For a more detailed description as well as results please visit  the project’s homepage:
http://www.wisdom.caf.dlr.de/

 

Team Members

Project Leader at ZEF:
Prof. Dr. Solvay Gerke

WP Coordinator:

Dr. Gabi Waibel

Senior Fellow:

Prof.Dr. Hans-Dieter Evers

Researcher:

Simon Benedikter

Junior Researchers:

Tatjana Bauer
Huu Pham Cong
Judith Ehlert
Sven Genschick
Thi Phuong Linh Huynh
Panagiota Kotsila
Quy Hanh Nguyen
Nadine Reis
Siwei Tan

Assistants:
Ellie Gunesch
Carmen Anthonj
Serge Birtel

 

Partner Institutions / Funding Organizations

Funded by BMBF Federal Ministry of Education and Research

Partner Institutions:

In Vietnam:

 

In Germany:

 

 

Publications

 

2010
Evers, H.-D., Genschick, S. & B. Schraven (2010): "Constructing Epistemic Landscapes: Methods of GIS-Based Mapping." The IUP Journal of Knowledge Management 1-17.

Evers, H.-D., Gerke, S. & T. Menkhoff (2010): Knowledge Clusters and Knowledge Hubs: Designing Epistemic Landscapes for Development. International Journal of Knowledge Management (IJKM).

Merkhoff, T., Evers, H.-D. & W.Y. Chay [Eds] (2010): Governing and Managing Knowledge in Asia. 2nd revised edition. World Scientific Publishing. New Jersey, Singapore, London.

Menkhoff, T., Gerke, S. & H.-D. Evers<//a><//a><//a><//a> (2010), Water and Knowledge Management in Vietnam: Understanding the Mekong Basin, in: Social Space (Lien Center for Social Innovation), pp. 74-79.

Nguyen, L. (2010): KHUNG PHÃP Là VỀ TÀI NGUYÊN NƯỚC Ở VIỆT NAM (Legal Framework of the  Water Sector in Vietnam), CTU Publishing House, Can Tho City.

Nguyen, L. (2010): Legal Framework of the Water Sector in Vietnam, CTU Publishing House, Can Tho City.

Nguyen, L. (2010): Legal Framework of the Water Sector in Vietnam, ZEF Working Paper Series No 52. Bonn. Center for Development Research (ZEF). University of Bonn.

Nguyen, L. (2010): Problems of Law Enforcement in Vietnam: The Case of Wastewater Management in Can Tho City. ZEF Working Paper Series No 53. Bonn. Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn.

Vormoor, K. (2010): Water Engineering, Agriculture Development and Socio-Economic Trends in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, ZEF Working Paper Series No 57. Bonn. Center for Development Research (ZEF). University of Bonn.

Waibel, G. (2010):   State Management in Transition: Understanding Water Resources Management in Vietnam, ZEF Working Paper Series No 55. Bonn. Center for Development Research (ZEF). University of Bonn.

2009
Evers, H-D. & T. Bauer (2009): Emerging Epistemic Landscapes: Knowledge Clusters in Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta. ZEF Working Paper Series No 48. Bonn. Center for Development Research (ZEF). University of Bonn.

Evers, H.-D. & S. Benedikter (2009): Strategic Group Formation in the Mekong Delta – The Development of a Modern Hydraulic Society. ZEF Working Paper Series No 35. Bonn. Center for Development Research (ZEF). University of Bonn.

Evers, H.D. & S. Benedikter (2009): Hydraulic Bureaucracy in a Modern Hydraulic Society – Strategic Group Formation in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Water Alternatives 2(3): 416 - 439.
Evers, H.D. & S. Gerke (2009): PHÂN TÃCH NHÓM CHIẾN LƯỢC (Strategic Group Analysis), Tap chi khoa hoc xa hoi (Social Sciences Review), 02/2010, pp. 88-102.

Evers, H.-D. & S. Gerke (2009): Strategic Group Analysis. ZEF Working Paper Series No 36. Bonn. Center for Development Research (ZEF). University of Bonn.

Evers, H.-D., Schraven, B. & S. Genschick  (2009): Constructing Epistemic Landscape: Methods of GIS-Based Mapping. ZEF Working Paper Series No 44. Bonn. Center for Development Research (ZEF). University of Bonn.

Gerke, S.  & J. Ehlert (2009): Local Knowledge as Strategic Resource: Fishery in the Seasonal Floodplains of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. ZEF Working Paper Series No 50. Bonn. Center for Development Research (ZEF). University of Bonn.

Herbst, S., Benedikter, S., Köster, U., Phan, N., Berger, C., Rechenburg, A. & T. Kistemann (2009): Perceptions of Water, Sanitation and Health: A Case Study from the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Water Science & Technology WST 60 (3): 699-707.

Pham, C.H., Ehlers, E. & S.V. Subramanian (2009): Dyke System Planning: Theory and Practise in Can Tho City, Vietnam. ZEF Working Paper Series No 47. Bonn. Center for Development Research (ZEF). University of Bonn.

Reis, N. & P. Mollinga (2009): Microcredit for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation in the Mekong Delta. ZEF Working Paper Series No 49. Bonn. Center for Development Research (ZEF). University of Bonn.

2008
Benedikter, S. (2008): Dezentralisierung und Demokratisierungstendenzen in Vietnam. VDM Verlag, Saarbrücken.

Evers, H.-D. (2008): Knowledge Hubs and Knowledge Clusters: Designing a Knowledge Architecture for Development. ZEF Working Paper Series No 27. Bonn. Center for Development Research (ZEF). University of Bonn.
(also available in Vietnamese: Tri thức là một Nhân tố sản xuất: Thiết kế Cấu trúc tri thức vì sự phát triển).

Evers, H.-D., Gerke, S. & T. Menkhoff (2008): Trí thức và Phát triển – Những Chiến lược Xây dựng Xã hội Trí thức [Knowledge and Development – Strategies of Knowledge-based Society Building]. Tap chi khoa hoc xa hoi, 6: 74-80.

Evers, H.D., S. Gerke & T. Menkhoff (2008), Tri thức và Phát triển - Chiến lược xây dựng một xã hội tri thức (Wissen und Entwicklung. Strategie für den Aufbau einer Wissensgesellschaft), ZEF Policy Brief No. 6.

Fuhrmann, E.  (2008): Regulating Water in the Mekong Delta. A Historical Perspective. Diploma Thesis (unpublished), University of Bonn.

2007
Wah, C.Y., Menkhoff, T., Loh, B. & H.-D. Evers (2007): Social Capital and Knowledge Sharing in Knowledge-Based Organisations: An Empirical Study. International Journal of Knowledge Management (IJKM) 3: 37-56.

 

 

 

Duration of the Project

04/2007 - 08/2010 and
10/2010 - 09/2013

 

Contact

Dr.Gabi Waibel

 
Project Homepage  www.wisdom.caf.dlr.de