Vietnam Ready to Take Action on Water Resource Management: Deputy PM

Vietnam has prepared measures to tighten management of water resources in an effort to join hands with the international community to cope with worse developments of the climate change, Deputy Prime Minister-Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said at an ASEM seminar. Vietnam is ready to promote the adoption of the UN’s Post-2015 Development Agenda to attain a new global agreement on climate change, Mr. Minh said at Asia-Europe (ASEM) seminar on concerted actions on water management in Vietnam’s Mekong delta province of Ben Tre on June 4. He said that the UN’s 2015 World Water Development Report that global water challenges had become more acute and complicated than ever before. Vietnam has been making efforts to enhance co-operation with ASEAN members and parties in the Mekong River Commission (MRC) in sustainable water resources management of the Mekong River and in the shaping of the agenda. Participants at the seminar who are representatives of 53 ASEM members and organizations, including MRC, the International Commission for Protection of the Danube River, and the World Bank, said that at least 750 million people are unable to access improved water supply. Vietnam is facing shortage of safe water in both urban and rural areas. The shortage is partly attributed to a fall of between 1% and 2% in the underground water resources plus the leakage rate of 23%. (Vietnam News June 5)