The FAO-ESCAP pilot project on national water visions. From vision ...

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mass media on the importance of water resources, by emphasizing that “water resources and water structures management is the people’s responsibility, obligation and right”. g. Water financial policy As water is of great value (water is considered as a commodity), it is necessary to make water financial policies to link water resources exploitation to the obligation of contributing capital. It is the way to afford the maintenance and improvement of water structures and protection against water-related dangers. II. VIET NAM’S WATER RESOURCES: POTENTIAL, PRESENT SITUATION AND DEMAND 1. Surface water potential Most of Viet Nam’s 332 000 km 2 land spread consists of hills and mountains, not very high but very dangerous due to steep slopes. <strong>The</strong>y make for a very complex network of rivers and streams. Due to the humid tropical climate and plentiful rainfall, water flows are easily formed, but the uneven distribution of rainfall makes them uneven as well. In Midland and mountainous areas, there are places that are short of water all year round or in the dry season, yet are flooded in the rainy season. In the plains, where numerous rivers have plentiful water resources throughout the year, the problem is to drain water in the rainy season. <strong>The</strong> surface water either generated in or flowing through Viet Nam’s territory comes from rainwater over an area of 1 167 000 km 2 . <strong>The</strong> surface water potential is estimated at about 835 000 million m 3 per year, though this number can fluctuate between 630 000-650 000 million m 3 and 1 000 000 million m 3 . Water quality and quantity are affected by both natural and social factors. As 60 percent of Viet Nam’s surface water is generated outside the country, its potential is affected by the source countries’ socio-economic development. With the present population, the water volume per capita is of about 4 000 m 3 per year. According to the classification of the International Water Resources Association, a country with a water volume per capita of less than 4 000 m 3 per year is considered a country of water shortage. Given population growth, Viet Nam is thus likely to experience a water crisis. All the more reason, then, to work out a national water vision which will include unified steps and a common strategy for the whole region and those countries in it sharing river basins. Water resources management under laws and stipulations is the key to proper usage and control. 2. Underground water potential <strong>The</strong> estimate of the underground water potential, after many years of research, is still uncompleted. Hydrogeologists have given different estimates. However, the rough estimate is between 50 000 and 60 000 million m 3 , equal to 16-19 percent of the annual total runoff or of the total water volume of rivers in the dry season. Underground water is the supplementary source for rivers in the dry season. Yet, the exploitation of underground water in many regions reduces river water volume in the dry season. 104 National water visions in Southeast Asia
3. Current situation of Viet Nam’s water resources a. Increasing shortage of water Increasing population reduces the volume of water per capita. In 1945, it was of 14 520 m 3 : now it is of 4 840 m 3 . If Viet Nam’s population were 150 million, the water volume per capita would be 2 420 m 3 (as estimated from the internal runoff). Due to climatic changes, the rainfall diminishes year after year. As the atmospheric temperature rises, so does evaporation. This leads to decreasing water resources and increasing water demand for irrigation. <strong>The</strong>refore, the regions where the dry season lasts nine months and the annual rainfall is less than 1 500 mm can turn into deserts. <strong>The</strong>re is growing demand for water to increase the productivity of plants, to supply domestic needs, to develop industry, tourism, trade and services. Water overexploitation and overuse easily lead to serious contamination if proper measures are not taken. b. Growing water perils Severe storms occur more frequently. It is calculated that each decade has 1.6 times more storms than the previous one. Typhoons, causing the seawater level to rise by two metres, account for 11 percent of all storms. <strong>The</strong> sea level rises 0.2 cm annually. Coastal erosion and landslides become increasingly frequent and serious. <strong>The</strong> highest amounts of rainfall per day can exceed 700 mm. In inland places such as Lai Chau or Kontum, daily rainfall of more than 300 mm has been recorded repeatedly. <strong>The</strong> shrinkage of source forests results in the probability of increasingly serious floods. Flash floods also occur more frequently in many places, particularly in small basins. <strong>The</strong> hydrogeology observation system is out of operation, however, so it is difficult to produce accurate figures. <strong>The</strong> water flow in the dry season is diminishing due to decreasing rainfall and to two other factors: source forests no longer play their regulating role because of forest fires and deforestation, and water exploitation is implemented through a system of movable dams at river source. <strong>The</strong>refore, in most places there are water shortages as early as February or March, one or two months earlier than used to be the case. c. Worsening contamination of water Water in lakes and rivers generally is good enough to meet people’s requirements. But around industrial zones, rivers, lakes and the sea can be seriously polluted. Increasing urbanization and industrialization have resulted in rampant water contamination. In the dry season, there is not enough water in lakes and rivers to dissolve waste and the contamination becomes worse. <strong>The</strong> overuse of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture contaminates both surface and underground water. <strong>The</strong> modernization and industrialization of agricultural production has caused new kinds of pollution, as with coffee-processing plants whose processing of beans for export demands a great amount of fresh water, later released as wastewater. National water visions in Southeast Asia 105
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RAP publication 2001/06 FROM VISION
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This report was prepared as the Fin
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FROM VISION TO ACTION A SYNTHESIS O
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from these studies were used to dev
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• Malaysia: 23-24 May 2000 in Kua
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2. Findings related to the formulat
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working out a process leading to ac
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e undertaken. The
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4. Achievement of effective water s
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• Philippines The</strong
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mitigation, flood control and other
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6) Legal framework: to support the
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3. Findings from the projec
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d. Problems addressed and needs ide
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MALAYSIA’S WATER VISION: THE WAY
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increasing land use conflicts and c
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• From vision to action (18 Febru
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percent. By 2020, the domestic and
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The increased dema
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continuing investments in R&D. Dema
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the shift from water supply managem
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1. Implementation of the national w
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VI. CONCLUSIONS The</strong
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• the Local Water Utilities Admin
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) Create one-stop shopping for wate
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Policy: This refers to statements a
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To obtain the views and ideas from
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Page 57 and 58: to the association. Gender-sensitiv
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Page 61 and 62: 7. coordinate soil erosion preventi
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Page 83 and 84: water development project</
Page 85 and 86: Thus, in the Eighth National Plan,
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Page 99 and 100: POLICY: Water resources management
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Page 103 and 104: sized structures which could irriga
Page 105: soil, reducing the number of pests.
Page 109 and 110: supply. A national programme has re
Page 111 and 112: 3. Legal documents on water a. <str
Page 113 and 114: IV. WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT VIE
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Page 121 and 122: APPENDIX 3. NATIONAL WORKSHOP ON
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