Environmental officials of Vietnam and the Netherlands met in Hanoi on Sept. 13 to seek ways to step up cooperation in applying remote sensing technology in water management.

At the meeting, representatives from the Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment discussed cooperation in managing water sources and coping with climate change and sea level rise.

They also touched upon measures to protect the ecological system while developing agriculture, industry, urban areas and infrastructure in Vietnam.

Cooperation in carrying out a programme to control floods in Ho Chi Minh City, the Rotterdam-Ho Chi Minh City partnership and the construction of the Vung Tau - Go Cong sea dyke were also tabled for discussion.

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Thai Lai said remote sensing technology can provide important information about total water volume, water quality, volume of mud and sand, and allocation of water sources, and monitor impacts of hydroelectric dams in upstream regions.

Vietnam needs advanced models to forecast the future situation of its water resources and wants to cooperate with the Dutch Government, research institutes and businesses in the field, he said.

Representatives from the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment said programmes on improving the capacity of urban and rural planning and development, flood control, waste supply, wastewater treatment and building relevant financial management institutions will be carried out in the coming time./.