Tourists at Bình Sơn - Ninh Chữ beach in the southern coastal province of Ninh Thuận. VNA/VNS Illustrative Photo Nguyễn Thành

NINH THUẬN — The People’s Committee of Ninh Thuận Province has approved a list and zoning map, restricting groundwater exploitation in coastal areas, covering a total area of more than 367sq.m, with 388 restricted areas in 46 communes and wards.

The approval was made after Deputy Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Phan Tấn Cảnh recently signed the Decision No 26/QĐ-UBND.

Under the decision, Cảnh said the first restricted zone would be applied for saline water areas with Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) content of 1,500mg/l or more and adjacent areas; areas where underground water exploitation wells were polluted, causing adverse effects on human and biological health, but there was no technological solution to treat them to ensure they meet national technical standards on drinking water quality, and adjacent areas; areas with concentrated cemetery and adjacent areas.

There will be 90 areas, covering an area of 87.17sq.m, on the list of the first restricted zone.

The third restricted zone would be applied for areas that had been connected to the centralised water supply system, meeting water use demand in terms of time, flow and water quality; areas that are not connected with the centralised water supply system but ready to supply clean water, meeting water use demand in terms of time, flow and water quality.

There would be 68 areas, covering an area of 64.74sq.m, belonging to the list of the third restricted zone.

The mixed restricted zone would be applied for the overlapping area between the first restricted zone and the third restricted zone.

The mixed restricted zone covers a total area of 215.21sq.m with 230 areas.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the exploitation of underground water to supply urban areas' demand has made an important contribution to the country's socio-economic development, improving the quality of people's lives. However, in the process of exploiting the underground water, many potential risks have arisen that put negative impacts on the water resource such as water source depletion, increased pollution, and saline intrusion of the underground water.

Therefore, it needs to manage the groundwater exploitation to minimise the risks.

Following the decision, Cảnh assigned the provincial Natural Resources and Environment Department to announce the list and the zoning map as well as prepare a plan to organise the implementation of the decision according to regulations. — VNS