Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of NaturalResources and Environment (MONRE) held a conference in Hanoi on January 6 toannounce a water resources planning scheme for the 2021-2030 period with a visionto 2050, which was approved by the Prime Minister in December 2022.

The scheme offers a foundation for MoNRE andother ministries, agencies and localities to map out their own plans relatingto water resources, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Le Cong Thanh said in his openingremarks.

The official expressed his belief that the closecoordination between the ministries, agencies and localities will help toensure the quality of relevant planning schemes, creating a premise for the economical,effective and sustainable exploitation, use and protection of water resources.

Chau Tran Vinh, Director of MONRE’s Department ofWater Resources Management, noted that this is the first national planningscheme in the water resources sector, which regulates water resources toachieve targets set in the 2021-2030 socio-economic development strategy.

The scheme concretises relevant guidelines andpolicies adopted by the Party, the National Assembly and the Government, hesaid, adding that it touches upon issues regarding the management, regulation,distribution, exploitation and use of water resources in agriculture, industry,fishery, irrigation, urban and rural water supply, and other production andbusiness activities, along with those on national water resources security.

According to Vinh, MONRE has coordinated with theWorld Bank, Australia, France, and domestic and foreign organisations andindividuals to organise meetings, where they exchanged experience in building the scheme.  

By 2025, the planning scheme targets increasing therate of daily clean water use to 95% - 100% for the urban population and 65%for rural residents. As many as 90% of water exploitation activities will beput under control, while the rate of water loss in supply activities will bereduced to 10%.

It also prioritises settling drought and watershortages in the dry season across river basins and areas with difficult accessto sources, particularly the south-central region, Central Highlands, Mekong RiverDelta, and remote and island areas.

By 2050, Vietnam is expected to raise its nationalwater security index to be among the countries that effectively ensure watersecurity in the world. It will work towards being proactive in water resourcesin all situations, forecasting and regulating water, preventing floods,droughts, saltwater intrusion, pollution, degradation, and water depletion, andresponding to climate change./.