Hanoi (VNA) – An online forum on policies and regulations toensure water resources security forsustainable 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 WaterAssociation (AWA), the event focused on policies to promote and encourage watersafety practices.
Accordingly, priority will be given to enhancing coordination in developingplans for water resource management in both rural and urban areas for thefields of finance, planning, agriculture, energy, tourism, industry, educationand health.
At the event, experts of the two countries presented reports focusing challenges and policy orientations for rural water supply security and safety, managingrisks amidst impacts of climate change and solutions to ensure safe watersupply in urban areas.
According to Tran Thi Thu Hang from the Ministryof Natural Resources and Environment's Water Resource Management Department, the institutional building work in water resources managementhas been basically completed, gradually meeting management requirements.
However, she notedthat a number of policies related to ensuring water resources security, and watersupply for daily life, networks of for water resources monitoring stations are notenough and synchronous, failing to meet requirements of assessing the quantityand quality, and forecast of water resource change.
People's awareness on protection and use of waterresources remains limited, Hang said, adding that there is a shortage of humanresources for managing water resources in localities.
In order to continue to improve the legal system on water resources, the departmentwill continue to perform overall and long-term tasks in order to strengthen themanagement, protection and sustainable exploitation of water resources, and ensurewater resources security.
Participants suggested the Australian side supportVietnam in developing the Law on Water Resources, a system of standards and regulations on safe watersupply, training managers and technicians operating in this field, supportingthe digitisation of the water industry.
They said Vietnamese and Australian enterprises shouldfurther promote business cooperation and technology transfer in the water area.
TheVietnam - Australia WaterWeek 2021 themed“Water Security for Sustainable Development: is virtually takingplace from September 15 – 17 to shareexperience, difficulties and challenges, and propose solutions as well aspolicy directions for development sustainable of the water sector in the comingtime./.
VNA
