Changing mindsets in water resource usage, management hinh anh 1Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Phan Xuan Dung (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) -
Changing mindsets in the management and usage of water resources is essential to ensuring water security and dam safety, Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Phan Xuan Dung told a conference in Hanoi on August 17.

He added that the NA has promulgated a legal corridor to ensure water security with the Law on Water Resources, Law on Irrigation, and Law on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.

Vietnam has built nearly 7,000 dams and resevoirs for water and electricity supply and flood prevention in recent years, but over 1,000 have deteriorated badly, posing high risks to safety, especially in flood and storm seasons.

Vice Chairman of the committee Nguyen Vinh Ha reported that in July the committee conducted two fact-finding tours of 14 cities and provinces in the north-central, central coastal, south-central, Mekong Delta, and northwestern regions.

Climate change along with extreme weather patterns such as flooding and drought have threatened underground water resources while putting pressure on irrigation systems. Besides, water resource pollution is a serious problem, he said.

He also pointed to challenges such as the ineffective use of water and the poor capacity of irrigation facilities.

The conference aimed to seek solutions to problems in water resource security and the operation of reservoirs./.
VNA