VACI 2024 conference supported by CRMGG attracts wide interest
On March 15, in Hanoi, the National Center for Water Resources Planning and Investigation organized the International Conference VACI 2024 with the theme “Protection, restoration and development of water resources: Science, policy and practicality”. The event attracted more than 200 delegates representing the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, its subordinate departments, national and international experts, scientists and managers. It was an opportunity for sharing current knowledge, experience, and lessons learnt on water resources management solutions, in line with the newly promulgated Water Resources Law of Vietnam.
Delegates participated in the VACI 2024
BGR expert Dr. Anke Steinel presented the two pilot models of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) in Hau Giang Province as a solution for seasonal saltwater intrusion to surface water resources. The initial results from the NAWAPI-CRMGG pilot in Vi Thanh were positive and allowed recharge of potentially 500 m³/d by gravity infiltration without water quality issues. The Partners for Water pilot in Nga Bay hopes to replicate these positive results.
Dr. Anke Steinel (BGR) presented the pilot model of MAR.
Felix Dörr (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany) presented current results from the land observatory in Ca Mau, which showed clearly that (1) groundwater level increases are due to surface water loading during the rainy season, (2) land subsidence stagnates during the rainy season and (3) land subsidence during the dry season is happening mostly in the upper sediment layers.
Attending the Conference also included Mr. Seok-dae YUN – General Director of K-Water Group. According to Mr. Yun, due to the increasingly growing demands for water, good governance of water resources is becoming even more urgent and strategic at global scale. In that context, K-Water has developed state-of-the-art management and operation technologies, including the application of artificial intelligence (AI) to regulate city-scale water sources, using renewable energy to help saving water supply/ waste water treatment costs.
NAWAPI presented also the Center’s digital transformation strategy that is supported by the CRMGG project. Further presentations from DHI Denmark on decision supporting tools and the Finnish GTK on Bank filtration rounded off the meeting.
On the prominent News at 19:00 of March 15th, Vietnam Television VTV1 put on the air the VACI Conference, mentioning about the German contributions with the scenes from the CRMGG presentation as well as the interviews with the CRMGG Project Leader Andreas Renck and Prof. Stefan Norra.
Mr. Andreas Renck – Country Representative / Head of CRMGG Project shared experiances.
“Vietnam Water Cooperation Initiatives ” (VACI) launched in 2012 is an annual event of the National Center for Water Resources Planning and Investigation to promote the exchanges of knowledge and experiences, creating a network of scientists, experts, managers, and businesses in the field of water resources. The event was sponsored by BGR in frame of Output 4 (Awareness raising and Scientific Advice) under the project ‘Climate Resilient Management of Groundwater and Geohazards (CRMGG)’.