VACI 2015 International Symposium & Exhibition

On October 19, 2015, at Almaz Convention Center, Vinhomes Riverside, Hanoi, the National Center for Water Resources Plannning and Investigation (NAWAPI) held an international workshop and exhibition on “Water Security in a changing era” in the framework of the Vietnam Water Cooperation Initiative (VACI). The Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources Germany (BGR) has funded and accompanied the event.

VACI gathered representatives from many countries: the United States, Switzland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, France, Italy, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh to share knowledge and experience in the fields of water resource security and integrated management of water resources; Link between science – policy; Groundwater Resources and Water Technology.

On this occasion, NAWAPI shared information about schemes and projects of water resources planning that they have been implementing across the country, including on the islands, mountainous and remote areas; which emphasized the role and importance of water resources planning as a platform to ensure water security.

With the main theme of water security, experts at the workshop have proposed five measures to ensure water security: completing the legislation system and strengthenning the inspection and supervision of regulations enforcement in water resources management and protection; enhance international cooperation, especially with the upstream countries to protect, share and exploit water resources fairly and efficiently; supporting the water resources investigation, survey, monitoring, forecasting and warning; promote communication, education and awareness raising for the society on water protection in the context of climate change; prevention of legal violations and crime in the field of water resources.

In addition, the problem of groundwater resources depletion in urban areas in Vietnam was presented. Among more than 10 measures proposed for urban groundwater protection, some remarkable ones were: inventory and evaluation of water resources, rational planning for groundwater abstraction and use; assess the self-protection capacity of aquifers, identify the risk of water resources degradation; determine the contamination pathways of groundwater; plans for artificial recharge of groundwater; construction and improvement of the groundwater dynamics monitoring network. However, the key point is to determine the priorities and select the most suitable and practical measures for each specific urban area.

In parrallel with the symposium was an exhibition of more than 20 booths showing the diversity of work on water resource protection in format and content. Various types of documents, books, publications and pictures related to water resources and environmental technology were exhibited there.

VACI has become a major annual event of the National Center for Water Resources Planning and Investigation