Vietnam moves towards smart governance of water resources

This move aims to ensure the effective management, exploitation and protection of water resources online based on smart governance.

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Chau Tran Vinh, Director of the ministry’s Department of Water Resources Management, said that this year, the department and related units will build and submit for approval three decrees and four circulars guiding the implementation of the Law on Water Resources 2023, organize the implementation of a project on the overall assessment of impacts of other countries' development of hydropower plants on the main stream of the Mekong River along with response solutions, and build a draft water resources scenario for early 2025 to submit to the ministry for announcement, helping ministries, sectors and localities to develop water use plans.  

The department will work with the Pollution Control Department to submit to the MoNRE the load capacity of inter-provincial water sources and a plan for surface water quality management in the basin of Ky Cung, Ma, Ba, Tra Khuc, Kon, Se San and Srepok rivers.

Water resources management has gradually come into order, creating a large source of revenue for the State budget, with about VND 7.5 trillion (USD 306.18 million) a year collected from water resources tax, and around VND 1.5 trillion a year from water exploitation right license.

The Departments of Natural Resources and Environment of provinces and centrally-run cities also actively advised their People's Committees in the promulgation of 122 legal documents and guiding documents to strengthen water resources management in the localities.

Source: VNA