Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has called countries sharing the Red and Mekong Rivers to cooperate closely together to use and manage water resources in a sustainable manner.
PM Dung called for closer international cooperation in using water resources efficiently
The PM made the call at a ceremony in Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on March 21, celebrating World Water Day 2013.As Vietnam lies entirely within the lower basins of the Red and Mekong Rivers that run through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia before flowing into its territory, it is necessary to boost international cooperation in sharing, exploiting and developing trans-boundary water resources sustainably, said Dung.
He noted that water cooperation will make a significant contribution to reducing poverty, promoting social equality, and improving people’s living conditions and access to education, especially among women and children.
In addition, he said water cooperation will help create economic advantages, maintain and improve water resources, protect the environment, and conserve biodiversity.
He urged upstream countries to cooperate and share water resource management with Vietnam for the sake of peace and prosperity of all countries, including those downstream.
Vietnam is proud to be the cradle of the wet rice cultivation. It requires an increased volume of water for agricultural production, as well as for industries, services and other economic sectors. Therefore, an adequate supply of water is vital to prosperity of every region and sustainable development of every sector.
In the face of water scarcity in the world, the PM called on Vietnamese ministries, agencies and localities to take action to manage and use water resources efficiently.
He asked them to apply and develop modern technologies to use water resources economically and efficiently, while mobilising capital from various sources for water use projects.
According to a UN report, 11 percent of the global population, or 780 million people, do not access safe water every day. Along with negative effects of climate change, water resources are becoming scarce and deteriorated globally.
