Using landsat satellite images for assessing riverbank changes in the Mekong and Bassac rivers in the An Giang province

Abstract

An Giang Province is one of the key economic regions of Mekong Delta and of Vietnam. With the development of urbanization and industrialization, An Giang has been suffering a burden from natural disasters, including salinity intrusion, drought, and riverbank erosion, due to natural and anthropological drivers. Amongst them, riverbank erosion is a key problem of the An Giang province, caused by changes in hydrological and sediment characteristics because of hydropower development and sand exploitation in the upstream part. In this study, we investigated the riverbank changes by using the water extraction index based on the Landsat imagery data. Amongst three extraction indices, such as Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), Modified Normalized Water Index (MNDWI), and Automated Water Extraction Index (AWEI), AWEI was identified the suitable index for the study area replied on the assessment of the index performance in extracting the riverbank in the four test sites in An Giang province (An Phu District, Vinh Hoa District, Cho Moi District, and Vam Nao River). Based on that, AWEI was then used for riverbank extraction for the study area in the period 1989-2015. After using the AWEI riverbank extracting method, Linear Regression Rate (LRR) had been applied to estimate the rate of the riverbank changes in the study area. The results stated that the rate of riverbank erosion was high in meandering river segments and upper part of islets, such as Tan Chau (-33m/year), Cho Moi (-36m/year) and Vam Nao (-3.07m/year). Besides analyzing the rate of erosion, this research also discusses some potential reasons as well as protection method to mitigate this problem. This study reveals that it is crucial to take sustainable measures to mitigate erosion in An Giang province.