Minister calls for international cooperation in Mekong Delta water issues
Vietnam needs to effectively cooperate with other countries the Mekong River flows through and work to internationalise the region’s water issues, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha said on June 15.
Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha speaks at the ninth session of the 14th National Assembly (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam needs to effectively cooperatewith other countries the Mekong♚ River flows through and work tointernationalise the region’s water issues, Minister of Natural Resources andEnvironment Tran Hong Ha said on June 15.
He made the call at the ninth session of the 14thNational Assembly. Vietnam is facing various problems in water security, hesaid, adding that the proportion of people in the country with access todomestic sources of freshwater is lower that the global average. Climate change is resulting in an uneven distributionof water in different regions and seasons, and the economic structure in the MekongDelta needs to change to ensure sustainable development. Countries in the upper reaches of the river may hold some20 percent of water volumes in their reservoirs, while Vietnam may lose up to 80percent of its water due to climate change and is likely to face water-relatedrisks, the minister said. He said that State management responsibilities shouldbe revised to ensure water security, while investment in infrastructure,monitoring, data, and planning should be clarified./.
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Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha speaks at the ninth session of the 14th National Assembly (Photo: VNA) 
