Representatives from the Vietnamese government and a relevant Japanese agency met with 10 polluters in the northern mountainous provinces of Thai Nguyen and Bac Kan on Oct. 29 to discuss a plan to manage the water environment of the Cau river basin.

Representatives from Vietnam ’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
held the discussions under the framework of a project on the management of the water environment of river basins in Vietnam , a cooperative project between Vietnam and JICA.

The project is being carried out in two provinces that host the Cau river, with a wide basin containing diverse of natural resources and is intimately linked to the socio-economic development of adjoining areas. It is the most important basin in the Thai Binh river system.

The participants stressed the need to manage the water environment of the Cau river, as, at present, several factories, mining areas, craft villages, husbandry establishments, hospitals and residential areas are contributing greatly to polluting the river./.