Vietnam faces a potential water shortage caused by industralisation andmodernisation, the country’s growing population and climate change, revealed asenior government official.
To tackle the challenge, a strategy to usewater resources more efficiently and economically has been developed, DeputyPrime Minister Hoang Trung Hai said at a symposium on water resources andsustainable development in Hanoi on January 19.
The Government is alsoenforcing the Water Resources Law and has approved a National Strategy for WaterResources until the end of 2010, said Hai, who is also President of the NationalCouncil on Water Resources.
Coupled with that, the Government has drawnup a national response programme for climate change and sought out moreinternational support to improve the efficiency of its management of waterresources, said the Deputy PM.
According to Deputy Minister of NaturalResources and Environment Nguyen Thai Lai, Vietnam is listed as one of thenations in the world that possess adequate water resources, with consumption perhead averaging 11,000 cubic metres a year.
The country has met withvarious difficulties when managing its water resources as two thirds flows infrom other countries, Lai said.
The issue has increasingly been severewhen water resources are being wasted and out of control, many of which havebeen polluted by mankind.
The lack of facilities to regulate the volumeof water has also posed problems for the country, said Lai.
According toKoos Neofjes, an senior UNDP advisor on climate change, Vietnam is one of thenations that will suffer the worst effects of climate change, most being waterrelated.
He also warned that even if Vietnam was not affected by climatechange, the unsustainable usage of this natural commodity in many parts of thecountry remains a problem.
The UNDP official asked Vietnam to bare inmind the need to mainstream its planning and management of water resources inits future development plans and in the programmes of other sectors, such asagriculture and power generation, to benefit the nation.
The symposiumbrought together local and overseas scientists, who will jointly evaluate thecurrent use of water resources in Vietnam and the impact of polluted water onthe community. It also came up with proposals to help Vietnam manage its waterresources better and adapt to climate change quicker./.
To tackle the challenge, a strategy to usewater resources more efficiently and economically has been developed, DeputyPrime Minister Hoang Trung Hai said at a symposium on water resources andsustainable development in Hanoi on January 19.
The Government is alsoenforcing the Water Resources Law and has approved a National Strategy for WaterResources until the end of 2010, said Hai, who is also President of the NationalCouncil on Water Resources.
Coupled with that, the Government has drawnup a national response programme for climate change and sought out moreinternational support to improve the efficiency of its management of waterresources, said the Deputy PM.
According to Deputy Minister of NaturalResources and Environment Nguyen Thai Lai, Vietnam is listed as one of thenations in the world that possess adequate water resources, with consumption perhead averaging 11,000 cubic metres a year.
The country has met withvarious difficulties when managing its water resources as two thirds flows infrom other countries, Lai said.
The issue has increasingly been severewhen water resources are being wasted and out of control, many of which havebeen polluted by mankind.
The lack of facilities to regulate the volumeof water has also posed problems for the country, said Lai.
According toKoos Neofjes, an senior UNDP advisor on climate change, Vietnam is one of thenations that will suffer the worst effects of climate change, most being waterrelated.
He also warned that even if Vietnam was not affected by climatechange, the unsustainable usage of this natural commodity in many parts of thecountry remains a problem.
The UNDP official asked Vietnam to bare inmind the need to mainstream its planning and management of water resources inits future development plans and in the programmes of other sectors, such asagriculture and power generation, to benefit the nation.
The symposiumbrought together local and overseas scientists, who will jointly evaluate thecurrent use of water resources in Vietnam and the impact of polluted water onthe community. It also came up with proposals to help Vietnam manage its waterresources better and adapt to climate change quicker./.
