Effective management crucial to prevent future water shortage: Official

Rural residents of Ca Mau province are depending mostly on underground water sources. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) –Vietnam’s water demand is likely to reach about 122 billion cu.m each year from2030, 1.5 times higher than the current amount, which means water shortage maybecome severe if the country fails to effectively manage the resources, said Deputy Directorof the Department of Water Resources Management under the Ministry of NaturalResources and Environment (MoNRE) Nguyen Minh Khuyen.

Khuyen noted that Vietnamis exploiting 84 billion cu.m of water each year, including 3.8 billion cu.m ofunderground and 80.6 billion cu.m of surface water. The peak water-consumption timeis in the dry season from July to September when over 80% of water is used foragricultural activities, he said.

The officialunderlined that some localities have still faced difficulties in accessingclean and safe water, especially those in the central and southcentralregions. Particularly, the situation is even worse in the Mekong Delta regionwhere saltwater intrusion is increasingly severe.

It is forecast that 11out of the 16 major river basins of Vietnam will experience water stress,especially in the four main river basins from which 80% of Vietnam's GDP isgenerated, including the Red – Thai Binh river basin, Mekong River basin, DongNai River basin and the basins of rivers in the southeast region, he said.

Illustrative image (Source: VNA)

As part of the efforts to better manage water resources, the Law on Water Resourceswas issued in 2012. So far, the Government and the MoNRE have promulgated nearly70 documents, while localities have also issued nearly 500 others to guidethe implementation of the law.

To date, six out of the 15water resources planning have been approved. At the same time, among the 63 cities and provinces nationwide, said Khuyen.

However, he cited a comment from the World Bank (WB) and the UN Food and AgricultureOrganisation (FAO) that Vietnam is a country with low water usage efficiency,especially the agricultural sector.

According to the World Bank's assessment in 2019, water used in agricultureaccounted for 81% of Vietnam's total water consumption, but the sector currentlygenerated only 17-18% of GDP and created jobs for 45% of the labour force.

Meanwhile, water wastage has remained, and the rate of water loss in urban and rural areas has still beenhigh, at about 25%. The efficiency of water exploitation is much lower than thedesigned capacity of water works, especially those for irrigation andagriculture, said Khuyen.

He said thatcurrently, the MoNRE is working on a draft revised Law on Water Resources,focusing on four key policies of ensuring water source security; socialising thewater sector; promoting water economy; and protecting water resources and preventingharms caused by water.

In respond to thisyear’s World Water Day, themed “Accelerating Changes”, through variousforms and methods, the MoNRE has spread messages of saving water to protect theplanet, contributing to promoting social progress, and accessing safe water. Small actions will lead to great changes, he concluded./.

VNA