Water resources planning to be stepped up

HÀ NỘI – Stepping up water resources planning is among the core tasks the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has set for 2017.

The ministry aims to complete a national water resources planning by 2020 for major river basins. 

The ministry assigned the National Centre for Water Resources Planning and Investigation to focus on making a plan for the Red River-Thái Bình River water resources, while speeding up water resources planning for Bằng Giang, Kỳ Cùng and Serepok river basins. 

At the same time, the centre was asked to conduct basic investigation into surface and underground water resources, making it a long-term task that is closely associated with planning. 

According to Triệu Đức Huy, deputy head of the centre, in 2016, the centre started designing the water resources planning for Red River and Thái Bình River basins by 2030 with a vision to 2050, while implementing a number of water projects in the Mekong Delta, south central and Central Highlands regions. 

Among those are projects to thoroughly deal with water shortages in the dry season and ensuring water security for drought-hit areas in the regions, he said. Huy added that the centre has also worked on a project to protect underground water in major cities, and another to assess water resources on a number of large and important islands serving the development of the marine economy and safeguarding national sovereignty over seas and islands. — VNS