Application of environmental index method for cummulative impacts assessment of the cascade reservoir system on ecosystem of the Ba river mainstream

Abstract

    Ba River basin is one of the 11 inter-provincial river basin in Vietnam, has cascade reservoir system. Recently the system has brought many benefits but also caused very complex social economic and environmental impacts so it is imperative that research and evaluation for the appropriate management solution to promote the positive aspects and to prevent the risks and minimize the negative impacts. In this paper, the authors propose to use environmental indices to assess the cumulative impacts of the cascade reservoir system on the ecosystem of Ba River mainstream and recommand some oriented solutions for environmental protection and minimize the negative impacts.