A mangrove forest in Long An (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Minister of NaturalResources and Environment Le Cong Thanh has underlined the need to focus on theplanning and investigation of water resources across the country, especially inthe Mekong Delta region.
Speaking at a recent meeting in Hanoi, the official proposedamending and supplementing the Law on Water Resources from 2020 in order toimprove the management of sustainable exploitation and use of water resources.
Hoang Van Bay, head of the Department of Water ResourcesManagement, said his department has prioritised the inspection of the operation of reservoirs, the planning of basic investigation of water resources nationwide, the buildingof a surface and underground water monitoring and managing system, and the listingof cross-border and inter-provincial water resources.
In 2019, the department will review the implementation ofthe Law on Water Resources in 2012 in preparation for the programme onbuilding, amending, and supplementing the Law on Water Resources from 2020,while setting forth technical regulations in the sector.
Nguyen Xuan Truong, head of the Department of Planning and Financeunder the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, said it needs to putinto consideration a number of tasks and sectors, especially those regardingthe amendment and supplementation of the 2012 Law on Water Resources.
Another task is to detail the items of planning schemesrelating to rivers and budget, he added.
The Vietnam National Mekong River Commission (VNMRC) willbegin to perform its functions and tasks as a commission for the Mekong,Sesan, and Srepok river basins in 2019, according to Le DucTrung, chief of the VNMRCoffice.
The commission will also investigate, collect, and updatedata on water resource exploitation and use it to make plans to improve theenvironment in the Mekong River Basin and the socio-economic conditions of theMekong Delta.
At the same time, it will continue to coordinate with membercountries of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) to realise the joint statementon providing consultations for the Pak Beng hydropower project and offerconsultations to the Pak Lay hydropower project of Laos.
The commission will join hands with the MRC to propose jointstudies on the basis of outcomes of the research on sustainablemanagement of the Mekong River Basin, including the impacts of mainstream hydroelectricity plants, he said. –VNA
VNA
