On March 21, 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development announced the Planning of Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and Water Management for the period 2021-2030, with a vision until 2050. This planning has been issued by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 847/QD-TTg.
NATIONAL-SCALE PLANNING
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Hoang Hiep stated that the Planning of Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and Water Management for the period 2021-2030, with a vision until 2050, aims to ensure irrigation, water supply, drainage, and flood control for agriculture, people’s lives, and economic sectors; enhance proactive measures for natural disaster prevention and mitigation.
The planning covers the entire mainland territory and inhabited islands with strategic importance in national defense and security, such as Van Don, Cat Ba, Bach Long Vy, Phu Quy, Ly Son, Phu Quoc, and Con Dao.
“This is the first national-level planning conducted nationwide according to the Planning Law, developed in a comprehensive manner aligned with the national planning system with long-term visions and directions, addressing interregional and interprovincial challenges and constraints. It also serves as a basis for technical and specialized planning for water management, natural disaster prevention and mitigation, and provincial planning,” emphasized Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep.
According to the Deputy Minister, the planning also specifies the measures for implementing Conclusion No. 36 by the Politburo on ensuring water security and dam safety until 2030, with a vision until 2045, and aligns with the spirit of the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam to serve the goal of fast and sustainable national development.
“The planning content reflects the scope of a national-level planning, providing new perspectives, directions, and content that were previously missing or insufficient in water management, natural disaster prevention, and mitigation contextually,” stressed Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep.
Mr. Nguyen Hoang Hiep, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Highlighting the outstanding features of the planning, Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep stated that the proposed irrigation and flood control infrastructure in the planning is combined and synchronized with transportation and other infrastructure works to serve multiple objectives, ensuring water security and contributing to the rapid and sustainable development of the country.
The planning proposes the construction of interconnected water conveyance and regulation systems, aiming to establish an interprovincial, interregional, and basin-linked water network.
UPGRADE OF MAJOR RESERVOIRS
The Planning of Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and Water Management sets goals to ensure irrigation, water supply, drainage, and flood control for agriculture, people’s lives, and economic sectors; enhance proactive measures for natural disaster prevention and mitigation; meet the requirements of sustainable socio-economic development, environmental protection; adapt to climate change and the development of upstream countries.
Specifically, by 2030, the planning aims to provide irrigation and water supply for 3.2 million hectares of rice cultivation; 70%-90% of the area of upland crops, fruit trees, industrial crops, and vegetables; sufficient water supply for around 10.5 million livestock and poultry… Sufficient water supply for rural living, livestock husbandry, and concentrated aquaculture; provide water supply for urban areas, industry, and other demands.
“I suggest that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development pay attention to upgrading, repairing, and supplementing some works in the North Hung Hai irrigation system, particularly investing in the overflow system in the Cong Xuan Quan area in Hung Yen province,” said Mr. Nguyen Hung Nam, Vice Chairman of the Hung Yen Provincial People’s Committee.
At the same time, the planning aims to protect water quality in irrigation works and proactively respond to drought and water scarcity. Additionally, it plans to upgrade eight large reservoirs with an additional total capacity of 360 million cubic meters in the North Central and South Central regions.
The planning also emphasizes solutions to enhance flood control, landslide prevention, and other types of natural disasters such as upgrading river embankments; dredging and upgrading river mouths; consolidating and upgrading coastal dyke systems to meet existing coastal dyke design standards; constructing and fortifying erosion control systems to protect the territory…
The planning outlines priority projects in three phases with a total investment amount of VND 489,000 billion. From now until 2030, the priority will be given to the construction of new large water reservoirs and the increase in capacity of existing large reservoirs. Upgrading major water systems managed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and other significant systems. Additionally, constructing projects to address the low water level on the Red River, Ma River, and Ca River basins; upgrading river embankments, coastal dykes, and disaster prevention and control works.
The planning also prioritizes the application of digital technology, digital governance infrastructure, advanced scientific and technological innovations into the direction, operation, management, exploitation of water management, and natural disaster prevention and mitigation infrastructure. Enhancing monitoring capacity and early warning systems for floods, landslides, inundation, drought, water scarcity, saltwater intrusion, and erosion to achieve the goals of the planning, serving production, people’s lives, and socio-economic development.
The proposed projects and plans in the planning also focus on environmental protection, recovery of polluted water sources; water environment protection, water quality monitoring, pollution control in water management systems.
To ensure the implementation of the planning, Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep urged the units under the Ministry and localities to review policy mechanisms, propose breakthrough mechanisms to the Government and the National Assembly on resources and human resources to resolve conflicts and implement the planning. Also, coordinate and propose solutions for implementing the planning in order of priority.
The provinces and cities are encouraged to proactively develop resource mobilization plans, submit them to the provincial People’s Council for allocating local budget resources in medium-term and annual public investment plans to implement tasks and construction projects in their respective areas, ensuring comprehensive, efficient, and cost-effective investment.
