Environment ministry drives digital transformation in water resource management

Dầu Tiếng reservoir supplies water for agriculture and daily life to Tây Ninh, Bình Dương, Long An provinces and HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo Vũ Sinh

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) will accelerate digital transformation to ensure effective management, exploitation and protection of water resources.

According to the 2024 plan to move towards smart water resource management, the ministry will maintain the operation of an online monitoring system for the exploitation and use of water for about 600 licensed projects.

There will be a push to develop digital maps for forecasting and alerting droughts and water shortages.

The units will enhance international cooperation, propose new tasks to serve the enforcement of the Water Resources Law, focusing on water source security, water resource accounting, efficient water use, recycling and the restoration of depleted, degraded, and polluted water sources.

Châu Trần Vĩnh, director of the Water Resources Management Department under MoNRE said that in 2024, the agency would draft and issue decrees and circulars guiding the implementation of the Water Resources Law; implement the project “Comprehensive Impact Assessment and Solutions for Dealing with Hydropower Development on the Mainstream of the Mekong River.”

At the same time, it would develop a draft water source scenario to be submitted to the ministry in early 2025, for other ministries, sectors and localities to develop water usage plans.

The department would collaborate with the Pollution Control Department to submit to the Government for approval the surface water quality management plan for the river basins of Bằng Giang – Kỳ Cùng, Mã, Ba, Trà Khúc, Kôn, Sê San and Srepok.

Vĩnh emphasised that in 2023, the natural resources sector had accomplished numerous tasks, with the ministry successfully completing the draft amendment to the Water Resources Law, which had been approved by the National Assembly.

In its role as the head of the ASEAN Working Group on Water Resources Management, Việt Nam has actively participated in ASEAN cooperation activities on water resources, including the UN Water Conference in March 2023, the 4th International Mekong River Commission (MRC) Summit in Laos, and the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) in Dubai in December 2023.

Nguyễn Thị Thu Linh, Director General of the MRC Joint Committee for Việt Nam, said that in 2023, the committee made significant contributions to evaluating the results of implementing the five-year cooperation plan on water resources for the 2018-2022 period. It also worked on improving the development of the five-year action plan for Mekong-Lancang cooperation on water resources for the 2023-2027 phase.

Moreover, the agency also contributed comments on cooperation documents and participated in relevant meetings within the framework of the Greater Mekong Subregion cooperation mechanism, Mekong-US Partnership, Mekong-Korea cooperation, Mekong-Japan cooperation, Mekong-Ganga cooperation.

To enhance international cooperation within the Mekong subregion, Linh said that in 2024, the MRC Joint Committee for Việt Nam would prepare for the 31st meeting of the MRC Council in Laos; implement the action plan for Mekong-Lancang cooperation on water resources for the 2023-2027 phase; organise the 2nd Ministerial Meeting of Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation in Việt Nam.

The agency would strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation with Mekong riparian countries to exchange and share information on planning, strategic development of the Mekong River basin, and construction and operation of water exploitation and the use of projects. — VNS