Building concentrated water supply systems, using water economically and planting trees are considered immediate and long-term solutions to the reduction of groundwater level, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE).

In fact, a number of localities encourage people to use water from concentrated systems in order to protect water resources, helping fulfill national targets on economic development and environmental protection.

Notably, southern Bac Lieu province has invested in building water supply stations in communes and towns while the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak has encouraged its residents to apply new coffee watering techniques which save around 200 litres of water for each coffee tree.

The MoNRE also suggests drastic and coordinated measures from administration agencies to change people’s awareness towards water-saving solutions in support of sustainable development.

Vietnam boasts abundant groundwater resources with an exploitable water deposit of up to 60 billion cu.m per year in addition to 847 billion cu.m of surface water from rivers and lakes.

However, this natural resource is being threatened by the global climate change, the ministry said, adding the total volume of surface water in the country is forecast to reduce 4 percent by 2025, 10 percent by 2070 and 14 percent by 2100.

People in big cities, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, have often suffered safe water shortages during dry seasons although the number of drilling wells have quadrupled to more than 1 million over the past decade./.