The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment organized the celebration of World Water Day, World Meteorological Day, and the Earth Hour Campaign in 2023.

In his speeches, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted the necessity of protecting water resources when approximately 2.2 billion people worldwide lack access to safe water, and 4.2 billion people lack access to basic sanitation services. The Secretary-General urged nations and global leaders to accelerate effective measures to protect water resources and ensure sustainability for the future. Water is indeed the most crucial element in achieving sustainable development goals related to water, as internationally agreed upon, including those in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Currently, the government has entrusted the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to be the leading agency, coordinating with relevant ministries and sectors to develop amendments to the Water Resources Law. Accordingly, a Draft Law on Amending the Water Resources Law has been established, and an editorial team has been formed to organize the development of the draft and consult the community on the proposed amendments. Some new points and directions in the draft law include adding provisions to clearly distinguish the responsibilities for managing water resources and managing water exploitation projects, both at the central and local levels. It also aims to manage water resources based on digital technology, unify the database, develop real-time decision support tools, reduce the human resources for management and operation, and minimize state investment costs.

The draft law is developed in a direction that separates comprehensive and unified water resource management from the management and operation of water exploitation projects (irrigation, hydropower, urban and rural water supply, industrial and service water supply, waterway transport, etc.). At the same time, it addresses the overlapping, tangled, and conflicting issues in various policies.

Through this year's World Water Day theme message launched by the United Nations, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment hopes for the community's attention and collaboration in changing the way water resources are used and managed. It aims to raise awareness of the importance of water and actively participate in global water resource protection activities.

PV