Enhancing Sustainability of the Transboundary Cambodia–Mekong Delta Aquifer (CMDA): Vietnam and Cambodia
1. Welcome / Overview
The Cambodia–Mekong River Delta Aquifer (CMDA) is one of the most important shared groundwater systems in Southeast Asia. Lying beneath Cambodia’s floodplains and the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, the aquifer sustains millions of people with water for drinking, farming, and ecosystems. Yet this hidden resource is under increasing stress from over-extraction, salinity intrusion, and climate change.
The CMDA Project is the first initiative of its kind in the Lower Mekong Basin. Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and executed by IUCN, the project is co-owned by the Governments of Cambodia and Vietnam. Running from 2024 to 2028, it aims to strengthen the sustainability of this shared aquifer through science-based understanding, cooperative governance, and inclusive participation.
As outlined in the Project Document (PRODOC), the project’s long-term objective is “to strengthen environmental sustainability and water security in the Lower Mekong Basin through improved governance and sustainable utilization of the Cambodia–Mekong River Delta Transboundary Aquifer.”
2. Our Mission
The CMDA project is designed to deliver both knowledge and cooperation. Its mission can be summarized in five interlinked goals:
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Strengthen groundwater governance between Cambodia and Vietnam through joint mechanisms and dialogue.
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Build science and knowledge by carrying out a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) to identify key pressures and risks.
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Agree on a Strategic Action Programme (SAP) endorsed by both governments, setting out practical and coordinated responses.
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Promote inclusive participation by ensuring that women, Indigenous Peoples, and ethnic minorities are fully engaged.
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Support resilience and sustainability in the Mekong Delta through policies, practices, and community action.
These priorities follow directly from the PRODOC, which emphasizes that the project must “deliver a comprehensive TDA and a negotiated SAP, endorsed at ministerial level, to support cooperative transboundary groundwater governance.”
3. Why Groundwater Matters
Groundwater in the CMDA system is essential for daily life and national economies. It provides safe drinking water for millions of rural and urban households, sustains irrigated agriculture in one of the world’s most productive deltas, and supports wetlands and biodiversity.
But the aquifer is at risk. Unsustainable abstraction is leading to land subsidence, saline intrusion is threatening freshwater supplies, and climate change is altering rainfall and recharge patterns. Without action, the very foundation of water security in the delta will be undermined.
The PRODOC underscores this urgency, noting that “both Cambodia and Vietnam are currently mining groundwater storage,” and that continued over-extraction will exacerbate climate and development pressures unless managed through cooperative action.
4. Key Project Facts
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Duration: 2024–2028.
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Countries: Cambodia & Vietnam.
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Partners: Governments of Cambodia & Vietnam, FAO, IUCN, UNESCO, MERFI.
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Funding: Global Environment Facility (GEF).
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Core Outputs:
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Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA).
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Strategic Action Programme (SAP).
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Governance mechanisms for joint decision-making.
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Capacity building, gender and social inclusion, knowledge sharing.
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These facts are drawn directly from the PRODOC, which provides the project’s Results Framework, institutional arrangements, and implementation plan.
The Cambodia–Mekong River Delta Aquifer (CMDA) Project is a Global Environment Facility (GEF) International Waters initiative implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and led by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Lead Executing Agency, with UNESCO and MERFI as Executing Partners, in collaboration with the Governments of Viet Nam and Cambodia.