Vietnam vows to ensure water security amid COVID-19 impact
VOV.VN - Ensuring water security and the safety of water supplies is of paramount importance as both climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic are threatening socio-economic development of countries worldwide, according to a leading expert in water supply.
Nguyen Ngoc Diep, chairman of the Vietnam Water Supply and Sewerage Association (VWSA) made the assessment during an online workshop titled "COVID-19 and Water Supply Resilience Planning Workshop” as part of Australia-Vietnam Water Week held from September 15 - 17.
Addressing the event, Diep noted the COVID-19 pandemic has exerted a seriously negative impact on the Vietnamese economy, while Vietnam is also hardest hit by climate change, which particularly causes droughts and saltwater intrusions in the Mekong Delta region.
Both the pandemic and climate change have posed a number of challenges to water security and water supply safety - an essential service for local people in all circumstances, he said.
In addition, he said, the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected water supply businesses’ operations, especially input material shortages, forcing the businesses to reduce their production costs in order to maintain production in COVID-hit localities.
Meanwhile, Abhinav Goyal, director at PwC Vietnam-Capital Projects & Infrastructure, revealed that Vietnam is likely to suffer significant water pressure during the dry season over the coming decades. Therefore, he said it needs to learn from international practice on water management policy so as to optimise water allocation and improve sustainability of water resources.
He emphasised that although Vietnam has made significant progress in establishing a broad array of policies relating to water management, water allocation has yet to be deployed in an effective manner.
During the Emerging Water Leaders Forum under the Australia-Vietnam Water Week, young officials shared the range of challenges in terms of mechanisms, policies, and techniques faced by the water industry in some Southeast Asian countries, Nepal, and Australia, while also proposing some solutions and co-operation opportunities in the future.
