Hanoi (VNA) - Changing mindsets in the management and usage of waterresources is essential to ensuring water security and dam safety, Chairman ofthe National Assembly (NA) Committee for Science, Technology and EnvironmentPhan Xuan Dung told a conference in Hanoi on August 17.
Headded that the NA has promulgated a legal corridor to ensure water security withthe Law on Water Resources, Law on Irrigation, and Law on Natural Disaster Preventionand Control.
Vietnamhas built nearly 7,000 dams and resevoirs for water and electricity supply andflood prevention in recent years, but over 1,000 have deteriorated badly,posing high risks to safety, especially in flood and storm seasons.
ViceChairman of the committee Nguyen Vinh Ha reported that in July the committeeconducted two fact-finding tours of 14 cities and provinces in the north-central,central coastal, south-central, Mekong Delta, and northwestern regions.
Climatechange along with extreme weather patterns such as flooding and drought have threatenedunderground water resources while putting pressure on irrigation systems.Besides, water resource pollution is a serious problem, he said.
Healso pointed to challenges such as the ineffective use of water and the poorcapacity of irrigation facilities.
Theconference aimed to seek solutions to problems in water resource security andthe operation of reservoirs./.