Phung Hoang resevoir in the central Quang Ngai Province (Illustrative image. Source: baoquangngai.vn)Hanoi (VNA) - The irrigation sector should continue to focus on restructuring and reviewing irrigation plans to serve multiple purposes, said Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai.
The Deputy PM made his statement at a ceremony in Hanoi last week to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the establishment of the Institute of Water Resources Planning (IWRP).
Hai said irrigation serves not only the development of agriculture, but also facilitates aquaculture and provides a water supply to people as well as other economic sectors.
As an agricultural country, the irrigation sector plays an important role and directly affects people's production, he said. However, many challenges must be overcome in order to manage the irrigation systems and make them adapt to climate change.
Deputy PM Hai asked the sector for more initiatives to enhance creativity in irrigation planning and promote co-operation with relevant agencies to enhance crop and livestock restructuring and efficient water use.
Hai said Vietnam is one of the countries that are suffering from a water shortage. More than 60 percent of water sources depend on river basins outside its borders.
Along with the impact of climate change, unpredictable changes in weather patterns and an increasing demand for water exploitation are posing challenges for the country in general and the irrigation sector in particular.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat said irrigation planning should be strengthened, focusing not only on rice cultivation, but also on other crops.
IWRP director Bui Nam Sach said the institute will deploy river basin planning to meet the requirements of irrigation investment, while collaborating with relevant agencies and localities to develop irrigation planning for socio-economic development.
Since it was established in 1961, the Institute for Water Resources Planning has played an active role in the construction of large projects like the Bac Hung Hai irrigation project, Nam Ha pumping station, and Thac Mo, Tri An and La Nga hydropower plants.
Vietnam has a synchronous irrigation infrastructure with over 900 large and medium-sized irrigation systems, nearly 7,000 reservoirs, 10,000km of dykes, over 250,000km of canals, more than 13,300 pumping stations and 5,500 irrigation drainage systems.-VNA
