Water availability becomes an issue during dry-season

Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam is facing many challenges in managing water
resources, said Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai, chairman of the
National Council on Water Resources, at a workshop on October 29.

The workshop was part of a project to evaluate Vietnam 's water sector,
with the overall goal of helping the country achieve sustainable development
of its water resources.

" Vietnam 's water resources are confronted by many potential threats.
However, this issue is not fully in the public consciousness so there needs
to be timely action taken," said Hai.

According to Hai, challenges in managing water resources come in many
forms: limitations and inefficient use of economic tools for sustainable use
of water resources, insufficient irrigation supply and a dilapidated
infrastructure.

Vietnam is heavily dependant on international rivers. Only 40
percent of surface water is generated inside the country and six of the
major river basins depend on water from other countries, In addition, nearly
57 percent of Vietnam's total water discharge occurs in the Mekong river
basin, over 16 percent in the Red-Thai Binh river basin and 4 percent in the
Dong Nai basin-all international rivers, according to the council's report.

Water availability, particularly in the dry season, is starting to be a
major issue. The international standard for "water exploitation stress" is
tha moderate stress on a river begin when 20 percent of the water is
extracted and high water stress occurs for values above 40 percent. For the
dry season, four of the major 16 basins are currently classified as highly
stressed (the Ma, the Huong, the Dong Nai and coastal rivers in southern
Central Vietnam) and a further six are classified as moderately stressed by
international standards, including the Red River . Up to 80 percent of the
Ma River's dry season flow is currently being extracted, said the report.

At the workshop, a number of related issues were discussed including the
protection of vulnerable communities, sustainability in water resource
development, environmental health and enhancing institutional capacity and
participation of related parties to achieve the integrated management of
water resources in Vietnam .

The report will be a reference for the Government and donor community in
developing a water resource management investment and support strategy for
Vietnam 's ministries and agencies over the next 10 years.-Enditem