Dr Tống Ngọc Thanh, general director of the National Centre for Water Resources Planning and Investigation

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Dr Tống Ngọc Thanh, general director of the National Centre for Water Resources Planning and Investigation (NAWAPI), under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment spoke with Tài Nguyên & Môi Trường (Natural Resources and Environment) online newspaper about the management and development of water resources.

What are some of the outstanding achievements in investigation, assessment and water resources planning over the past 15 years?

The investigation and assessment of water resources have been promoted. The NAWAPI has completed a set of water resource map at the scale of 1/200,000 for the whole country. This is a precious document, serving the management of underground water resources in Việt Nam. The centre has also enhanced investigations to protect rare and precious water sources for sustainable water exploitation, protection and use in major cities; assessment and synthesis of water resources including surface water and underground water for key economic regions and river basins have also been carried out.

NAWAPI has also implemented the Government's programmes on investigating and searching for underground water sources for economic development in border, mountain and remote areas and islands with difficult access to sources.

Regarding water resource planning, the centre has completed more than 40 water resource master planning schemes for provinces and cities and five planning schemes for major river basins of Bằng Giang - Kỳ Cùng, Sê San, Srêpốk, Hồng (Red)-Thái Bình and Mekong River Delta.

The Red River-Thái Bình and Mekong River Delta are very important water resources to promote the socio-economic development of the two key regions and ensure national water security.

What solutions does NAWAPI have to manage, exploit, and use water resources effectively in Việt Nam?

We have basically completed the monitoring system for underground water sources, data system on water resources as well as hydrological data. Since then, a database system have been built to serve the notification, warning and forecasting of water resources for river basins, meeting the State management.

In recent years, we have paid special attention to both quantity and quality of water sources. We have mobilised our resources on evaluating the receiving capacity and loading capacity of rivers and water sources. On that basis, the centre makes recommendations on quality management as well as the restoration, protection and development of water resources as well as ensuring the national water security.

To achieve these goals, NAWAPI, in close coordination with its units, has also promoted digital transformation, research, and application of advanced science and technology.

What plans has NAWAPI prepared to better implement the planning and investigation of national water resources?

We will promote digital transformation to quickly, efficiently and promptly serve the investigation, planning, monitoring and supervision of water resources, especially forecasting and warning to manage, exploit, use and regulate water in a smart and timely manner.

NAWAPI also plans to build a smart water management system to better support State management agencies.

We hope the centre can operate flexibly like a business and gradually to become autonomous, and can work with domestic and foreign partners to implement projects on renovating, restoring as well as developing water resources. — VNS