Decision No. 33/QD-TTg 2020 approving Vietnam’s Hydraulic Work Strategy through 2030

DECISION

Approving Vietnam’s Hydraulic Work Strategy through 2030, with a vision toward 2045^[1]

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the June 19, 2015 Law on Organization of the Government;

Pursuant to the June 19, 2017 Law on Hydraulic Work;

At the proposal of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development,

DECIDES:

Article 1. To approve Vietnam’s Hydraulic Work Strategy through 2030, with a vision toward 2045 (below referred to as the Strategy), with the following principal contents:

I. VIEWPOINTS AND GUIDELINES

1. Viewpoints

a/ Hydraulic work activities must have a long-term vision to meet national socio-economic development requirements, serve multiple sectors, achieve multiple objectives and  ensure water resources security, thus contributing to natural disaster prevention and control, environmental protection, adaptation to climate change, and development in headwaters of inter-country river basins and internal development;

b/ Hydraulic work activities must be harmonious with water resources, positively help generate water sources, and retain, regulate, divert and distribute water between seasons, regions and river basins nationwide;

c/ Hydraulic work activities must be carried out under the guideline “joint efforts by the State and the people” to mobilize the entire society’s participation and step by step implement the market mechanism;

d/ Development of hydraulic structure systems must ensure synchronous connection with infrastructure systems of other sectors and fields. The State shall build particularly important hydraulic structures, big hydraulic structures, hydraulic structures for which social resources are hard to be mobilized, hydraulic structures for combined purposes of serving national defense, security and natural disaster prevention and control, hydraulic structures in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, islands, areas with extremely difficult socio-economic conditions, areas of water scarcity and areas greatly affected by climate change; and at the same time encourage and create conditions for organizations and individuals to build, manage and operate hydraulic structures in accordance with law;

dd/ It is required to take the initiative to effectively respond to the most disadvantageous circumstances, prevent and fight drought, water scarcity, saltwater intrusion, flood, inundation, waterlogging, and river bank and coastal corrosion at higher safety levels, thus ensuring safety for hydraulic structures and areas downstream of irrigation dams and reservoirs.

2. Guidelines

a/ The Strategy must be implemented in a synchronous and uniform manner and focused on key locations. The implementation of the Strategy is of urgent and concurrently long-term nature which aims to ensure water resource security, national interests, national defense and security, protect the environment and people in natural disasters and adapt to climate change;

b/ Socio-economic development must be based on natural conditions and demand-meeting capacity of water resources; exploitation and use of water must be in parallel with protection of water resources in all river basins and hydraulic structure systems as well as administrative units;

c/ Water must be used in a thrifty, safe and efficient manner and for proper purposes; quantity and quality of water in hydraulic structures must be ensured;

d/ Users of hydraulic products and services must pay charges as prescribed;

dd/ The State shall ensure resources to be invested in hydraulic work activities in accordance with law and at the same time adopt policies to mobilize resources of organizations and individuals participating in hydraulic work activities and formulate appropriate policies and mechanisms to support poor households and households in deep-lying, remote and border areas and on islands;

dd/ To implement water resources-related international commitments which Vietnam has signed or acceded to.

II. OBJECTIVES AND TARGETS

1. Objectives

a/ To develop hydraulic work toward modernity and resilience to ensure water supply and drainage for people’s livelihood and economic sectors, thus contributing to sustainable socio-economic development, ensuring water resources security, national interests, national defense and security;

b/ To take the initiative in preventing and controlling, and mitigating damage caused by, natural disasters, responding to the most disadvantageous circumstances and ensuring better water drainage, prevention and control of flood, inundation, drought and saltwater intrusion, environmental protection, adaptation to climate change and development in headwaters of rivers; and to contribute to building a society safe from natural disasters.

2. Targets

a/ Water supply

To ensure sufficient supply of water for people’s daily life and agricultural production and meet water demand of socio-economic sectors; to supply water to and generate water sources for urban areas, industrial parks, export processing zones, economic zones and hi-tech parks from hydraulic structure systems; to pay special attention to areas exposed to chronic water scarcity such as the Central Coast, Central Highlands and Mekong River Delta; to attach importance to protecting the environment and aquatic ecosystems for sustainable development;

To ensure controlled supply of water for two-season rice field areas, ensuring that 85% of total areas will be irrigated, and 30% and 60% of total areas will be cultivated with advanced methods by 2030 and 2050, respectively;

By 2030, 70% of dry crop areas will be irrigated, of which 30% will be irrigated by advanced water-efficient methods; by 2050, the figures will be 100% and 60%;

To ensure controlled supply and drainage of water for hi-tech industrial-scale concentrated intensive aquaculture, high-value commodity agricultural production areas, and other agricultural production purposes.

To supply water for economic activities in coastal areas and on populous islands providing fishery services.

b/ Water drainage and discharge and protection of the water environment

To ensure controlled drainage and discharge of water into major rivers, increase areas where water can be drained by gravity, ensure water drainage and discharge in plain and lowland areas for people’s livelihood and agriculture at a frequency of between 5% and 10%; to meet requirements for drainage and discharge of water in urban areas into hydraulic structure systems;

To take the initiative in preventing and controlling flood, inundation and waterlogging for industrial parks, export processing zones, economic zones, hi-tech parks, rural residential areas and other production activities;

To prevent and control water pollution in hydraulic structure systems, ensuring that quality of water in these systems is up to the set standards applicable to water to be supplied to water users.

c/ Prevention and control of natural disasters and response to climate change

- To actively and effectively respond to adverse impacts of drought, water shortage, saltwater intrusion, flood, inundation, waterlogging, river bank and coastal corrosion, etc., harmoniously combining solutions requiring building of hydraulic structures with those not involving any hydraulic structure;

- To ensure that urban centers, residential areas and production activities are safe from adverse impacts of water-related natural disasters in the context of climate change;

- To ensure safety for works and areas downstream of irrigation dams and reservoirs.

- To maintain and increase flood resistance capacity of major river basins in the North and northern Central Vietnam with flood resistance assurance levels specified in Table 1; to take the initiative in preventing, avoiding and adapting to flood to protect population in river basins in South Central Coast, the Central Highlands and Southeastern region, thus facilitating summer-autumn and winter-spring crop production with a flood frequency of between 5% and 10%; to proactively ensure harmonious coexistence with flood in the Mekong River delta, control flood in shallowly submerged areas, and ensure conditions for adaptation to flood and safety for people’s livelihood and production in deeply submerged areas;

Table 1. Designed flood resistance assurance levels (flood frequency, %)

III. SOLUTIONS

1. General solutions

a/ Improving mechanisms and policies and enhancing the enforcement of the law on hydraulic work

- Enhancing law enforcement, further supplement and improve hydraulic work mechanisms, policies and law to ensure their consistency, uniformity, feasibility and transparency, and raise public awareness about the law on hydraulic work. To implement in a synchronous manner the following solutions:

- Reviewing and revising in a consistent and uniform manner guiding documents, mechanisms and policies in the field of hydraulic work, thereby creating a driving motive for organizations, individuals and enterprises to participate in hydraulic work activities and mobilize to the utmost social resources for investment in hydraulic work development;

- Intensifying examination and inspection, and handling of violations of the law on hydraulic work;

- Consistently implementing policies on prices of hydraulic work products and services suitable to characteristics of different regions, areas and service users; heightening the responsibility of related parties for providing and using hydraulic work products and services; developing small-sized and intra-field irrigation works;

- Reviewing and revising existing national standards and technical regulations and techno-economic norms on hydraulic work, and issuing new ones;

- Intensifying dissemination of and education about the law on hydraulic work in order to raise public awareness about hydraulic work; guiding the implementation of the law on hydraulic work and promoting the supervisory role of the people and participation of related parties;

- Renewing public communication contents and methods and combining traditional methods with public communication via social networks; incorporating hydraulic work contents in a number of education curricula.

b/ Improving the organizational apparatus

To improve the organizational system of hydraulic work management from central to local level in a synchronous, uniform, professional, effective and efficient manner. To implement in a synchronous manner the following solutions:

- Further consolidating and improving the system of specialized agencies performing the function of state management of hydraulic work from central to local level, clearly separating state management from management of operation of hydraulic structures;

- Reorganizing non-business units in a neat manner to satisfy requirements of state management and financial autonomy in accordance with law;

- Reviewing and reorganizing enterprises operating hydraulic structures at provincial and inter-provincial levels, ensuring that each province may establish only one single-member limited liability company to operate hydraulic structures built with 100% state capital; continuing to study and establish financially autonomous organizations to operate hydraulic structures that can provide diverse services;

- Establishing, consolidating and strengthening grassroots hydraulic work organizations suitable to particular characteristics of different regions and areas and size of hydraulic structure systems on the principles of voluntariness and equality for benefits of their members and association with building of a new countryside, and promoting the prime role of hydraulic work product and service users.

c/ Developing human resources

To provide capacity-building training courses and attract high-quality human resources to participate in hydraulic work activities. To implement in a synchronous manner the following solutions:

- Reviewing and evaluating existing human resources in the hydraulic work sector; formulating and implementing training and further training plans and programs suitable to different types of trainees and capable of providing training in multiple disciplines and professions; attaching importance to raising quality of lecturers, training management capacity and investing in upgrading training institutions;

- Organizing training and retraining courses to raise professional qualifications and management skills of personnel engaged in management, scientific research, design, construction, management and operation of hydraulic structures; organizing training and refresher courses to improve competency of grassroots hydraulic work organizations and providing further training to improve professional skills of workers directly engaged in operating hydraulic structures;

- Implementing appropriate incentive policies to attract high-quality human resources to participate in hydraulic work activities, thereby forming a pool of experts for hydraulic work at central and local levels.

d/ Raising quality of planning work

To work out development vision and scenarios based on adaptation to climate change to develop headwaters of inter-country river basins, promote internal development of planned areas, address extreme impacts such as drought, water shortage, saltwater intrusion, flood, inundation, waterlogging, pollution and water resource depletion. To implement in a synchronous manner the following solutions:

- Completing the formulation of master plans on natural disaster prevention and control and hydraulic work; reviewing and adjusting existing master plans on hydraulic work in inter-provincial river basins and those on hydraulic structure systems related to two or more provinces and formulating new ones in order to achieve multiple objectives and meet requirements of socio-economic development and sustainable agricultural development combined with building of a new countryside;

- Working out development vision and scenarios in order to devise solutions requiring building of hydraulic structures and those not involving any hydraulic structure to ensure water resource security and protect the water environment; concentrating efforts on studying and proposing hydraulic work solutions for the Red River delta, Central Highlands and Mekong River delta, and supplying water for coastal economic activities;

- Working out master plans closely following requirements for economic restructuring; devising hydraulic work planning solutions combined with advanced watering methods to save and reuse water as well as ecosystem-friendly technologies;

- Generating, retaining, regulating, transferring and connecting water sources between seasons and regions nationwide; studying and updating information about the master plan on the system of hydropower reservoirs, thus rationally and efficiently using water sources from these reservoirs for the Central Highlands, Central Vietnam, southeastern region and northern midland and mountainous regions;

- Studying hydraulic work solutions to supply water to areas exposed to frequent drought, water scarcity or saltwater intrusion; attaching importance to solutions to connecting sources of, and conducting, (fresh and saline) water through pipelines in order to control sufficient water supply and efficient water use;

- Transferring and applying advanced technologies and methods in hydraulic work planning.

dd/ Intensifying investment in developing hydraulic work infrastructure facilities

To formulate plans on investment in developing complete and modern hydraulic work infrastructure facilities with new technologies in a focused and selective manner, synchronously implementing the following solutions:

- Continuing to build large-scale hydraulic structures to meet socio-economic development requirements, and hydraulic structures to serve target programs on restructuring of agricultural economy, prevention and mitigation of natural disasters and stabilization of people’s livelihood, and the national target program on building of a new countryside;

- Building hydraulic structures to supply water for irrigation and people’s daily life in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, on populous islands, areas with extremely difficult socio-economic conditions, areas suffering water scarcity, and areas affected by climate change, drought or saltwater intrusion;

- Repairing, upgrading and completing existing hydraulic structures toward modernity and synchrony; building operation surveillance systems to improve efficiency of hydraulic structures;

- Focusing on repair and upgrade of irrigation dams and reservoirs to ensure safety for these dams and downstream areas;

- Intensifying investment in building hydraulic structures to serve aquaculture, supply water for people’s daily life and industrial production, and help improve the ecological environment;

- Building hydraulic structures to drain, reduce or control floods, control water salinity or freshness, retain fresh water, and prevent and control river bank and coastal corrosion;

- Increasing investment from the state budget and at the same time attracting social resources for building hydraulic structures;

- Building a database on hydraulic structure construction investment;

- Continuing to protect and develop forests and break-water trees to protect sea dikes.

e/ Raising efficiency of hydraulic structure management and operation

To renovate, and raise operational efficiency of, organizations operating hydraulic structures and grassroots hydraulic work organizations; to promote internal strength and the supervisory role of the people in hydraulic work; to raise quality of hydraulic work services and hydraulic structure safety assurance levels, and proactively prevent and control draught, water scarcity, saltwater intrusion, flood, inundation and waterlogging. To implement in a synchronous manner the following solutions:

- Maintaining performance of designed tasks of hydraulic structures; regularly repairing and maintaining hydraulic structures to increase their operation duration;

- Reviewing irrigation dams and reservoirs that are likely to become unsafe, assessing safety of irrigation dams and reservoirs and flood discharge capacity of irrigation reservoirs, step by step raising safety assurance levels up to international standards, particularly for major irrigation reservoirs; increasing rain and flood forecasting and warning capacity and striving to operate irrigation reservoirs having sluice gates for real time-based flood control; implementing solutions to ensure safety for dams and downstream areas, and working out plans to respond to natural disasters and emergencies;

- Reviewing and proposing measures to dispose of or replace hydraulic structures that are irreparably degraded, particularly severely damaged small-sized irrigation reservoirs;

- Implementing management solutions and ecosystem-friendly solutions to reuse water, control waste sources and protect quality of water in hydraulic structure systems for water users;

- Modernizing observation, forecasting, warning, management and operation activities; investing in equipment and technologies to increase capacity to forecast water sources, drought, water scarcity, saltwater intrusion, flood, inundation and waterlogging to serve management work; applying advanced technologies in management and operation of hydraulic structure systems;

- Supporting, consolidating and strengthening grassroots hydraulic work organizations to make them capable of providing multiple services suitable to characteristics of regions, areas, natural and socio-economic conditions;

- Realizing the roadmap of implementing policies on prices of hydraulic work products and services, ensuring harmony of interests between providers and users of these products and services and suitability with particular conditions of different regions and areas; subsidizing charges for use of public-utility hydraulic work products and services for people and entities engaged in agricultural production in accordance with law;

- Renewing the mechanism for managing and methods of providing hydraulic work products and services in order to increase revenues and ensure sufficient funds for management and operation of hydraulic structure systems, prioritizing development of services of supplying water for people’s daily life, industrial production, service provision and power generation; applying advanced management processes to increase productivity and business efficiency;

- Transferring the right to manage and operate hydraulic structure systems; transferring on a pilot basis the right to manage and operate a number of hydraulic structures where conditions permit.

g/ Developing science and technology

To research and apply technologies to raise effectiveness and efficiency of the management and operation of hydraulic structures, prevention and control of natural disasters, and response to climate change, and ensure safety for dams and reservoirs and water quality in hydraulic work activities. To implement in a synchronous manner the following solutions:

- Researching and applying advanced technologies to raise capacity to make forecasts and warnings about developments of water resources, water quality, drought, water scarcity, saltwater intrusion, desertification, flood, inundation, waterlogging, sedimentation and corrosion of hydraulic structures, river banks and coastal areas in order to serve hydraulic work activities;

- Intensifying the application of advanced technologies and information technology in supervising the operation and regulation of hydraulic reservoirs in order to ensure safety for dams and reservoirs, increase use duration and service capacity of hydraulic structures;

- Applying advanced technologies in water-efficient irrigation, daily-life water supply, water reuse, discharge and drainage;

- Researching and applying new materials, new components and modern technologies in building hydraulic structures, ensuring their quality, technical requirements and aesthetic appearance and local landscape;

- Studying and assessing impacts of climate change and development activities on water resources and hydraulic structures for use as a scientific basis for working out planning vision and scenarios, especially in such highly vulnerable regions as the Mekong River and Red River deltas.

h/ Undertaking international cooperation

To expand and intensify international cooperation, exchange of information, transfer and application of scientific and technological advances, and mobilization of resources for hydraulic work activities. To implement in a synchronous manner the following solutions:

- Proactively entering into and expanding cooperation with international partners on hydraulic work activities; exchanging information, transferring technologies, providing training, sharing experience, and mobilizing resources for hydraulic work activities;

- Further consolidating and expanding cooperation on research into impacts of development activities in headwaters areas of inter-country river basins (Red-Thai Binh, Mekong, Ma and Ca rivers) on our country for use as a basis for hydraulic work activities, direction and management of production and response to natural disasters;

- Mobilizing resources to support training of high-quality human resources, research and transfer of the world’s advanced technologies; enhancing connection with the community of overseas Vietnamese scientists and technologists.

2. Solutions for different regions

a/ For the northern midland and mountainous regions

To develop small-sized hydraulic structures to irrigate hilly areas where commodities of high economic value are produced; to supply water to areas suffering water scarcity; to prevent and control flash floods, landslides, flood and inundation for residential areas; to ensure safety for irrigation dams and reservoirs. To implement in a synchronous manner the following solutions:

- Repairing and upgrading existing structures; ensuring safety for irrigation structures, dams and reservoirs;

- Proposing measures to prevent and control flood and inundation and drain logged water for high-risk residential areas and urban centers in Yen Bai, Tuyen Quang, Bac Kan, Lao Cai, Phu Tho and Vinh Phuc provinces;

- Studying and proposing solutions to manage land, migration and exploitation of riverbed sand and gravel, prevent and control flash floods and landslides, protect residential and production areas, and prevent and control corrosion along border river and stream banks;

- Applying advanced water-efficient irrigation technology; implementing solutions to develop scattered small reservoirs to connect water sources between reservoirs, conduct water in pipelines, and use water from hydropower reservoirs for people’s daily life and production and irrigation in hilly areas.

b/ For the Red River delta

To develop hydraulic work for multiple purposes, meet requirements of hi-tech agricultural production, clean agriculture and organic agriculture; to increase capacity to discharge or drain water into major rivers; to address water pollution and adverse impacts of extreme rain and flood, dam break, river level lowering and development activities in river headwaters areas. To focus on implementing the following groups of solutions:

- Repairing, upgrading and completing hydraulic structures in order to restore their designed service capacity, gradually increase the level of assurance of sufficient supply of water for people’s daily life and economic sectors; upgrading and renovating intra-field irrigation systems to serve advanced farming methods, reduce production costs, save water and reduce sewage;

- Repairing and upgrading existing discharge pumping stations and sewers and building new ones, dredging axial drainage channels to ensure drainage and discharge to major rivers in rainy season;

- Reviewing and transforming low-yield rice fields and areas meeting with water source difficulties, and low-lying areas prone to frequent inundation and waterlogging;

- Continuing to build water drainage and discharge works to fight inundation for Hanoi, Vinh Phuc province, Hai Phong city, etc.;

- Studying and developing scenarios of extremely heavy rains and floods and dam breaks so as to propose appropriate response solutions; concentrating on solutions to manage risks in areas prone to frequent inundation and waterlogging; managing and protecting flood-discharging and water-retaining areas and regulating reservoirs in residential areas and urban centers;

- Continuing to regulate water sources from hydropower reservoirs on the Red-Thai Binh river system in order to supply water for production and people’s daily life, control flood, inundation and waterlogging in rivers’ downstream areas; studying and implementing solutions to cope with river level lowering water, thereby gradually replacing plans on regulation of water from hydropower reservoirs on the river system in the winter-spring crop season;

- Strictly managing the exploitation of river-bed sand and gravel, especially along major rivers, thus preventing flow-bed depletion, river bank corrosion, saltwater intrusion and reduction of water-taking capacity of hydraulic structures;

- Protecting quality of water in hydraulic structures, enhancing examination, inspection, handling of violations within the scope of protection of hydraulic structures, or handling of illegal discharge of wastewater into hydraulic structures.

c/ For the northern Central Vietnam

To further improve hydraulic structure systems, upgrade irrigation dams and reservoirs to ensure their safety, supply water for coastal areas, study and address the river level lowering; to prevent and control saltwater intrusion. To focus on implementing the following groups of tasks and solutions:

- Repairing and upgrading existing irrigation dams and reservoirs and building new ones, improving the system of canals and ditches; building systems of water supply for coastal sandy areas and areas along Ho Chi Minh road; building and consolidating a system of hydraulic structures to prevent and control river bank and coastal corrosion; to gradually increase flood control assurance level in mid-rainy season;

- Studying solutions to connect water sources, conduct water, build sewers and dams to prevent water level raise and saltwater intrusion and retain fresh water in main estuaries of Ma and Ca rivers;

- Efficiently operating headwaters reservoirs to supply water, prevent and control draught, water scarcity, saltwater intrusion, flood, inundation and waterlogging, and ensure safety for hydraulic structures;

- Applying advanced water-efficient irrigation technologies, connecting water sources between reservoirs and additionally supplying water to industrial parks, areas for cultivation of industrial crops, grassland areas for concentrated husbandry and coastal aquaculture areas.

d/ For the southern Central Vietnam

To continue building major hydraulic structures to generate water sources, improve existing hydraulic structures, build pipelines to connect reservoirs and conduct water to coastal areas, and regulate hydropower plants in headwaters of rivers to supply water to areas downstream these rivers. To focus on implementing the following groups of solutions:

- Building reservoirs to generate water sources; connecting irrigation reservoirs and implementing solutions to conduct water to coastal areas; upgrading, repairing and improving canals and ditches;

- Effectively regulating reservoirs to supply water to lower areas; rationally operating reservoirs in river basins to ensure safety for hydraulic structures and areas downstream of these rivers and serve people’s daily life, production, and prevention and control of natural disasters;

- Proactively preventing, avoiding and adapting to floods in mid-rainy season; preventing early and late floods to protect winter-spring and summer-autumn crops; renovating and increasing water-discharging capacity of axial drainage channels, and studying remedies for sedimentation in estuaries and coastal lagoons for the purpose of flood discharge.

- Applying advanced water-efficient irrigation and water reuse technologies; prioritizing water supply and drainage needs of areas producing materials for processing industry and hi-tech agricultural areas;

- Reviewing and stepping up the conversion of low-yield rice fields into areas for cultivation of dry and industrial crops and husbandry to bring about high economic value, especially in areas prone to frequent drought; reviewing solutions to supply water to areas prone to drought, thus contributing to fight desertification;

- Prioritizing the supply of water for people’s daily life and essential needs of agricultural production in case of drought and water scarcity.

dd/ For the Central Highlands

To continue building major hydraulic structures to generate water sources, improve existing hydraulic structures, apply water-saving irrigation technologies, expand irrigated areas under dry crops, and prioritize supply of water for people’s daily life. To focus on implementing the following groups of tasks and solutions:

- Continuing to build, repair and upgrade irrigation dams and reservoirs, improving the system of canals and ditches, connecting reservoirs, conducting water far by gravity, and building pipelines to serve irrigation of industrial crop areas and supply of residential water;

- Repairing and upgrading existing scattered small reservoirs and make-shift dams and building new ones with materials exploited on the spot to irrigate areas under vegetables, cash crops and industrial crops, supplementing groundwater sources, and minimizing soil erosion;

- Developing and applying water-efficient and drip irrigation technologies for vegetables, cash crops and industrial crops of high economic value;

- Studying and implementing solutions to supply residential water and supply water for areas of cultivation of perennial plants in case of drought;

- Reviewing and reducing low-yield rice field areas within the service scope of hydraulic structure systems in order to have more water sources for irrigation of industrial and dry crop areas and for husbandry;

- Surveying and evaluating groundwater reserves; working out plans on rational exploitation, protection and addition of groundwater sources.

e/ For the southeastern region

To continue building major hydraulic structures; to exploit for multiple purposes hydraulic work systems; to expand irrigated areas under dry crops, supply water to urban centers, industrial parks, export processing zones and hi-tech parks; to control inundation and waterlogging in urban centers. To focus on implementing the following groups of solutions:

- Reviewing and expanding general and efficient operation of the Dau Tieng-Phuoc Hoa hydraulic work system to supply water to areas exposed to water scarcity in Tay Ninh province and areas between eastern and western Vam Co rivers;

- Building La Nga 3 reservoir to conduct water to suburban areas south of Binh Thuan province;

- Further implementing solutions to control inundation in Ho Chi Minh City and a number of cities in the region; studying solutions to prevent and control flood for areas downstream Dong Nai - Saigon rivers;

- Upgrading existing hydraulic work systems and building new ones; continuing to build scattered small reservoirs that can, together with hydropower reservoirs, supply water for irrigation of areas under vegetables, cash crops and industrial crops and contribute to supplementing groundwater sources;

- Controlling waste sources and treating pollution in order to maintain quality of water in hydraulic structure systems up to applied water quality standards.

g/ For the Mekong River delta

To review and improve hydraulic work systems to serve restructuring of agriculture and transformation of agricultural production in the region toward fisheries, fruit trees and rice suitable to different ecological sub-regions, and at the same time encourage coexistence with flood, inundation, brackish water and saltwater. To focus on implementing the following solutions:

- For upper delta areas:

+ Proactively controlling flood and stabilizing enclosing dikes and embankments to protect residential areas, infrastructure facilities and areas for two rice crops per year and aquaculture;

+ Renovating axial flood discharge channels to the West Sea and Dong Thap Muoi region (Plain of Reeds);

+ Protecting flood discharge spaces; studying solutions to retain flood water in deeply submerged areas for the purpose of supplying water in dry season and other purposes.

- For mid-delta areas:

+ Completing hydraulic structures to ensure supply of water in any circumstances; further consolidating and upgrading enclosing dikes and embankments to protect urban centers, residential areas, fruit gardens and intensive aquaculture areas;

+ Building regulating hydraulic structures and dredging axial canals to retain sufficient water to meet requirements of socio-economic development and supply water for economic sectors and hydraulic structures conducting water to coastal areas.

- For coastal areas:

+ Building and improving hydraulic work systems to control water sources for supply of water for people’s daily life and controlled supply of fresh water or saltwater for production and aquaculture;

+ Continuing to build sea dikes combined with planted forests for coast protection;

+ Rationally using groundwater for daily-life use and aquaculture;

+ Considering solutions to supply fresh water from major rivers to coastal areas;

+ Applying and transferring technologies for collecting, storing and treating water on the spot to serve people’s daily life during periods of drought, water scarcity or saltwater intrusion, and technologies for treating wastewater from aquaculture.

h/ For islands

To continue building works for supply of water for people’s daily life, services and tourism and for national defense and security. To focus on implementing the following groups of solutions:

- Building reservoirs, hydraulic structures and works connecting water sources for storing and supply of water for people’s daily life and production;

- Studying and applying solutions to collect, store and treat water, desalinate and purify saltwater, and reuse water;

- Developing and applying advanced irrigation technologies suitable to cultivated land areas on islands;

- Studying and proposing solutions to prevent and control landslide and corrosion in island coasts, and protect residential and production areas; planting and protecting mangrove forests surrounding islands.

IV. ORGANIZATION OF IMPLEMENTATION

1. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall:

a/ Assume the prime responsibility for formulating action plans, programs and schemes and summarizing proposals on the strategy implementation from ministries, sectors and localities once every year and every five years;

b/ Review and formulate mechanisms and policies on management, guidance, support and monitoring of the implementation of the Strategy;

c/ Summarize and evaluate results of the implementation of the Strategy and propose adjustments and supplementations to the Strategy;

d/ Review and formulate master plans and plans to mitigate damage caused by natural disasters and ensure sustainable development;

dd/ Review, formulate and modify programs on assurance of safety for reservoirs and dams, control of inundation, waterlogging, drought, saltwater intrusion, etc.;

e/ Make statistics, process information and build databases to serve the state management of hydraulic work;

g/ Review, evaluate and organize research and application of advanced technologies in the field of hydraulic work;

h/ Build the system providing professional training and further training for human resources engaged in hydraulic work;

i/ Organize public communication and dissemination of, and education about, the law on hydraulic work, and intensify provision of information and public communication to improve public awareness about hydraulic work;

k/ Organize examination, supervision and evaluation of implementation results of the Strategy on an annual basis and review and evaluate, and draw experience from, the implementation of the Strategy; propose or recommend to the Prime Minister for decision matters arising beyond its competence; and supplement and adjust the strategy for subsequent periods.

2. The Ministry of Planning and Investment and Ministry of Finance shall, within the ambit of their assigned state management functions, assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and related ministries and sectors in, balancing and allocating annual state budgets in accordance with the Law on the State Budget, Law on Public Investment and Law on Hydraulic Work for effectively implementing the Strategy.

3. Other ministries and sectors shall, within the ambit of their assigned state management functions and tasks, propose, formulate and implement key programs, schemes and projects to achieve objectives and perform tasks of the Strategy.

4. Provincial-level People’s Committees shall:

a/ Devise, approve and implement solutions specified in the Strategy in their localities according to their competence;

b/ Incorporate contents of hydraulic work development in local socio-economic development master plans and plans;

c/ Manage the implementation of hydraulic work planning contents in provincial master plans;

d/ Build, repair, upgrade, manage and protect hydraulic structures, reservoirs and dams in their localities.

Article 2. This Decision takes effect on the date of its signing.

Article 3. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies, chairpersons of provincial-level People’s Committees, and heads of related agencies shall implement this Decision.-

For the Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
TRINH DINH DUNG