World Water Day is marked in Vietnam

A series of seminars on public-private partnership in water management, photo exhibitions, and displays of high-tech products are being held during International Water Week. More than 500 papers on water resource monitoring and forecasting from 20 countries and territories will be presented. The event includes two courses called "Application of satellite technology in water resources management" and "Monitoring and forecasting of water resources".

Vietnam is facing numerous water-related challenges because it is located in the tropical weather zone and has a long coast and extensive low-land areas.  Vietnam is one of the 5 countries hardest hit by climate change and rising sea level. The Vietnamese government identifies water as a strategic resource to ensure sustainable national growth. Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Tran Quy Kien said: "It’s crucial to apply technology to water investigation and surveillance, expand the scale of investigation and search, focus on key economic zones and areas that are prone to drought and saline intrusion, and strengthen state management of water resource. We also need to pay more attention to the exploitation and utilization of water resources to boost socio-economic development while protecting the environment.”

Director General of the National Center for Water Resource Planning and Investigation Tong Ngoc Thanh said: “Water investigation is one of our key tasks. We have basically completed a national map of underground water and a map for water resource investigation of major rivers. We have strengthened international cooperation.”

Vietnam’s International Water Week provides opportunities for the community to make a commitment to protect water resources and the environment, towards the goal of sustainable economic development.