Vietnam has not been included on the list of water-rich nations by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and is forecast to suffer water shortage by 2010 when each person will have access to only around 8,900 cubic metres of water a year on average.
In Vietnam, each person used 12,800 cubic metres of water on average in 1990 but the consumption volume fell to 10,900 cubic metres in 2000 and to 10,400 cubic metres at present. Although water consumption in Vietnam is higher than the Asian average of 3,970 cubic metres and the world average of 7,650 cubic metres, water resources are unevenly distributed from region to region. Vietnamese rural areas mainly use surface water from rivers, streams, lakes and ponds. Nonetheless, the consumable water level of several Vietnamese rivers is low, for example, 5,000 cubic metres per person for the Red, Thai Binh and Ma river systems and 2,980 cubic metres per person for the Dong Nai River system. According to the International Water Resources Association (IWRA), a country lacks water if the annual consumption amount is less than 4,000 cubic metres per person, and it is scarce of water if the consumption level is less than 2,000 cubic metres.
Actual facts
A representative from the Hydrological Study and Water Resources Centre said: “Nhue, Thi Vai and Dong Nai rivers are gradually becoming dead rivers. The Red River is dangerously exhausted during the winter-spring crop and threatens the quality of life of the people who live on its water.” Vietnam is suffering serious consequences from El Nino; lower rainfall for many years, shorter rainy seasons and the lowest Red River water levels for at least 100 years. Forecasts said Vietnam is likely to undergo a critical drought in 2007, especially in southern central regions. At present, river water levels are some 50-90 per cent lower than previous years.
Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Cong Thanh said total water consumption for agricultural, industrial, urban, rural, tourism and commercial development in Vietnam is estimated to reach 130 billion cubic metres by 2010. Under the water deficiency standards of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), many regions in Vietnam will undergo medium to critical water shortages by 2010, especially during the dry season. He said the water deficiency is more serious because of substandard water treatments by enterprises; direct discharge of untreated water into rivers, streams, lakes and ponds; and unintentional human activities like deforestation and irrational farming. At present, surface water in delta areas is gravely polluted. The arsenic contamination in underground water is also at an alarming level.
With serious worries about water resources, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Mai Ai Truc said, “The current water crisis is not a result of dehydration, but a water management crisis. The weak management of water resources led to water shortages for people, especially clean water for people in rural areas. In Vietnam, only 60 per cent of the population has access to clean water.” Dr. Le Bac Huynh, Deputy Director of Water Resources Management Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, warned “From a water-rich country, Vietnam is now on the verge of serious water deficiency. 80 per cent of diseases are related to water. Unhygienic water also causes malnutrition in 27 per cent of children under age five.”
Solutions
Water resources in Vietnam have never been as precious as now, when water in rivers, ponds and lakes is gradually being degraded and exhausted. Water resources are becoming scarcer, while drought is a more critical threat. Hence, the role of water resource management units is more important. The Water Resources Management Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is proposing amendments to the Law on Water Resources. Besides, the department has cooperated with the departments of natural resources and environment in 57 provinces and cities to open training courses on investigation, sampling and analysis of arsenic content in running water, and on improving public awareness of water source protection and maintenance. The “Minimisation of arsenic in running water in Vietnam” and “Investigation and assessment of underground water in mountainous and north-western provinces” projects have been carried out.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development noted that investment capital sources for clean water and rural environment sanitation programmes in 2007 reach VND2,033 billion (USUS$127 million), including VND430 billion (USUS$26.88 million) from international donations. This funding will prioritise investment for poor mountainous areas, border zones and islands. With this investment capital amount, the programme will provide clean water for 2.7 million people in 2007, raising the number of people with access to clean water to 70 per cent of the population, and provide standard toilets for more people, raising the number of households with standard toilets to 54 per cent in the year.
At a recent seminar on water held in Hanoi, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Cong Thanh said his ministry was implementing the National Strategy for Water Resources approved by the Government in late 2006. The ministry is promoting a programme on river basin administration. Several documents on preventing water contamination have been issued and have generated positive results. The licensing and tolling of wastewater discharge will be applied. Besides, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment also works with other ministries and branches to cooperate with neighbouring countries sharing the same water sources.
Nguyen Thoa
Vietnamese
