Dyke System Planning: Theory and Practice in Can Tho City, Vietnam

Dyke system planning has emerged as a technical solution to the natural occurring floods in many parts of the developing world, such as the Mekong Delta. The paper applies the theory of integrated flood management to understand the inherent planning process in the system, the established institutional structures and the social perceptions of the dyke system.

The paper draws on personal interviews and secondary documents to understand the dyke system planning taking Can Tho City as a case study. The paper discusses the dyke system planning to understand its social reflections in the shallow – average flooded areas in Can Tho City to address contradictory perceptions between techno-centric planners and livelihood-centered local people in flood control to improve life of rural people. The paper reveals the neglectfulness of the social aspects such as participation, local knowledge and experiences of local people in the dyke system planning. The dyke system planning has mainly focused on hydrological and technological aspects to control floods, to protect and develop agricultural production rather than to meet the livelihood needs of rural people. The dyke systems have produced disadvantages for water environment while advantages of floods have been gradually disappeared overtime.

Pham Cong Huu, Eckart Ehlers, Saravanan V. Subramanian

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