Assessment of Basin-scale Water Stress using Geographic Information System in Southeast Asian Countries with Megacities

Taishi Yazawa (Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Japan)
Akito Morita (College of Science and Engineering, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Japan)
Toshiyuki Shimizu (Department of Urban Management, Fukuyama City University, Fukuyama, Japan)

The Journal of Indonesia Sustainable Development Planning (JISDeP)
Vol 4 No 1 (2023): April 2023

Southeast Asian countries are facing unstable water resource situations, experiencing high water stress as a result in their river basins, particularly around large population cities. This research has assessed basin-scale water stress by estimating the amount of water resources and water use for all river basins in Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia. A simple water stress assessment methodology using a Geographic Information System revealed the basins vulnerable to high water stress around the capital areas in all five countries. The population ratio was under high-moderate and high water stress at 29.3% in Indonesia, 41.8% in Thailand, 31.9% in the Philippines, 43.3% in Vietnam, and 19.9% in Malaysia. The results imply that large populations depend on limited water resources. The basin-scale assessment conducted in this research could be used in support of the water resources management planning at an inter-basin scale aiming to neutralize water stress.