Supporting the theme of World Water Day 2023, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres shared on Twitter: "Unfortunately, the world is moving in the wrong direction to achieve the goal of clean water and sanitation for all people by 2030. Currently, billions of people still don't have clean water and sanitation, so we can all do something to accelerate change."
According to United Nations statistics, billions of people and countless schools, businesses, healthcare centres, farms and factories are hampered by a shortage of hygienic sources. Latest data shows that governments must work four times faster on average to meet Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) on time, but this is not an individual problem or any single organization can solve it. Because water affects everyone, there is a need for everyone to take action. Many experts consider 2023 to be a special year for commitments related to water use and sanitation.
This year's celebration of World Water Day coincides with the start of the 2023 United Nations Water Conference held from March 22 to 24 in New York (USA). The conference is co-hosted by the Government of Tajikistan and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The conference is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for countries around the world to unite to tackle the internationally approved water and sanitation crisis for the 2018-2028 period. The conference consisted of an opening and closing session, 6 plenary sessions and 5 interactive dialogue sessions and side events. The outcome of the Conference will be compiled in a summary report and will be presented by the President of the United Nations General Assembly during the 2023 session of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the United Nations (HLPF).
According to preliminary statistics nationwide, the water source in Viet Nam is currently being exploited for the purpose of using about 84 billion m3/year, of which groundwater is about 3.8 billion m3/year (equivalent to 10.5 million m3/day), exploited surface water uses about 80.6 billion m3/year (221 million m3/day). The exploitation and use focus mainly on 7-9 months of the dry season; in which over 80% of water is used for agricultural purposes (about 65 billion m3/year) and the structure of water use tends to increase gradually for industry, fisheries and daily life. It is forecasted that by 2030, the water demand will be about 122 billion m3/year, an increase of 1.5 times compared to the present; the water shortage will be serious if not controlled.
Viet Nam has always determined that "water is a particularly important resource, an essential component of life and the environment, determining the existence and sustainable development of the country" and therefore, the Constitution stipulates that "water is property". In recent years, Viet Nam has always made efforts to strengthen and consolidate, and promulgate many institutions and policies in the field of water resources.
Typically, the Politburo issued Conclusion No. 36-KL/TW on ensuring water security and safety of dams and reservoirs until 2030, with a vision to 2045. The Government also strengthens the implementation of activities aimed at ensuring water security; Renovating and restoring degraded, depleted and polluted rivers; Exploitation, use and protection of water resources must be consistent with the functions and responsiveness of water sources, and use economically and efficiently water sources. In which, the most recent is the Government's promulgation of the National Water Resources Planning for the period of 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050, the General Planning of the Red River Basin, the Mekong River, etc. The approved master plans aim to ensure water security in river basins; storing, regulating and allocating water resources in a fair and reasonable manner; to exploit and use economically and efficiently in association with protection and sustainable development of water resources in order to meet water demand for people's daily life, socio-economic development, and ensure national defense, security and environmental protection.
In particular, implementing the guidelines and policies of the Party, State, and Government, the Government assigned the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to focus resources on building and completing the Draft Law on Water Resources (amended) to submit to the National Assembly for comments, consideration and adoption in 2023. The draft Law was developed with the amendment and supplement of many important provisions that will help the State manage, control and comprehensively regulate water issues on the basis of unified management of water resources, synchronization among sectors and localities.
Along with the improvement of institutions, in order to change awareness and actions in the management and use of water resources, the solution is to promote communication and raise awareness of the community and people in the use of water resources economically. Efficiency is also very important. Every year, activities to respond to World Water Day on a national scale have been organized into annual activities by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. This is a very meaningful activity to raise awareness of the community to participate in the protection of water resources by many concrete and practical actions.
In 1992, at the United Nations Summit on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), the United Nations selected March 22 every year as World Water Day and March 22, 1993 as First World Water Day. Since then, this day has been celebrated every year. Each year, World Water Day has a theme. World Water Day was born with the goal of directing people around the world to save and protect water sources, encourage people to raise awareness about the value of water in human's daily life as well as protect the precious habitat of many species living on planet Earth.
Therefore, governments and stakeholders from all walks of life need to work together quickly to make voluntary commitments to accelerate the implementation of SDG 6 as well as other internationally agreed water-related goals and targets.
These voluntary commitments will form the Water Action Agenda, designed to deliver rapid, transformative change for the remainder of this decade.
Source: http://www9.monre.gov.vn