Hanoi (VNA) – An online forum on policies and regulations to ensure water resources security for sustainable development was organised on September 16 within the framework of the Vietnam - Australia Water Week 2021.
Co-hosted by the Vietnam Water Supply and Sewerage Association (VWSA) and the Australia Water Association (AWA), the event focused on policies to promote and encourage water safety practices.
Accordingly, priority will be given to enhancing coordination in developing plans for water resource management in both rural and urban areas for the fields of finance, planning, agriculture, energy, tourism, industry, education and health.
At the event, experts of the two countries presented reports focusing challenges and policy orientations for rural water supply security and safety, managing risks amidst impacts of climate change and solutions to ensure safe water supply in urban areas.
According to Tran Thi Thu Hang from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment's Water Resource Management Department, the institutional building work in water resources management has been basically completed, gradually meeting management requirements.
However, she noted that a number of policies related to ensuring water resources security, and water supply for daily life, networks of for water resources monitoring stations are not enough and synchronous, failing to meet requirements of assessing the quantity and quality, and forecast of water resource change.
People's awareness on protection and use of water resources remains limited, Hang said, adding that there is a shortage of human resources for managing water resources in localities.
In order to continue to improve the legal system on water resources, the department will continue to perform overall and long-term tasks in order to strengthen the management, protection and sustainable exploitation of water resources, and ensure water resources security.
Participants suggested the Australian side support Vietnam in developing the Law on Water Resources, a system of standards and regulations on safe water supply, training managers and technicians operating in this field, supporting the digitisation of the water industry.
They said Vietnamese and Australian enterprises should further promote business cooperation and technology transfer in the water area.
The Vietnam - Australia Water Week 2021 themed “Water Security for Sustainable Development: is virtually taking place from September 15 – 17 to share experience, difficulties and challenges, and propose solutions as well as policy directions for development sustainable of the water sector in the coming time./.
VNA
