RESPONSE TO WORLD WATER DAY (March 22): Focus on preserving and restoring river water quality

World Water Day, held on March 22 every year, is an opportunity for the international community to recognize the decisive role of clean water in life and sustainable development. In 2025, with the theme of “Conserving glaciers”, the warning message about the current situation of global water resources decline becomes even more urgent: 70% of the earth’s fresh water is in glaciers, providing for nearly 2 billion people’s daily life, but their rapid melting has contributed to a 20cm rise in sea levels since 1900 - a serious threat to water security and the economy. In that context, Vietnam has decided to focus on the campaign “Conserving and restoring rivers” to deal with the degradation, depletion and pollution of water resources.

Upgrading dikes is a priority measure the province is implementing to establish an effective water control corridor.

Take proactive action to protect water resources

In Nam Dinh, the response to World Water Day has been maintained and implemented for many years with a series of practical activities aimed at strengthening the management and protection of water resources; in which special attention is paid to responding to the degradation, depletion and pollution of water resources for rivers. As a locality with four major rivers (Hong, Day, Dao, Ninh Co), Nam Dinh is regularly affected by natural disasters and saltwater intrusion. Therefore, the province has proactively mobilized resources from the Central and all levels to upgrade dikes, build sluices, dams, and reinforce irrigation works to effectively control water resources. In addition, the province has synchronously deployed measures to prevent pollution and protect water quality, including: Focusing on monitoring water exploitation through the monitoring system; establishing water source protection corridors according to legal regulations; controlling pollution, treating wastewater to standards before discharging into the environment; managing domestic wastewater, promoting waste classification, and modern treatment technology; Raise farmers' awareness, encourage microbial fertilizers, limit free grazing; control industrial wastewater, require technological innovation, assess environmental impacts; promote the completion of wastewater treatment systems in industrial parks, ensure collection and reuse; pay attention to closely monitoring facilities outside industrial parks, require the operation of wastewater treatment systems; strengthen monitoring of large wastewater, install automatic monitoring systems; treat medical wastewater, ensure standards are met before discharge; control specific wastewater, wastewater generating facilities must be treated to standards; maintain minimum flow, monitor river water sources to protect the ecosystem. Strengthen information and communication to the public on protecting water resources, emphasizing the use of water as economically as possible, especially during periods of water scarcity.

In addition, the province pays attention to the management, inspection, handling and prevention of violations that may affect the quality of water resources, including river water. In 2024, the Department of Agriculture and Environment submitted to the Provincial People's Committee a Decision approving the list and map of restricted groundwater exploitation areas in the province and 7 decisions approving the fee for granting the right to exploit water resources; identifying the protection area of ​​1 water plant. The Department has also issued documents directing and guiding the management and protection of water resources such as: Instructions on the implementation of a number of regulations on water resources according to the Law on Water Resources 2023; instructions on organizing the implementation of water resources quality monitoring according to the provisions of Circular No. 01/2023/TT-BTNMT dated March 13, 2023; Instruct the People's Committees of districts and cities on temporary collection, treatment and management of wastewater for rural areas (household and residential area scale); urge investors, construction management agencies and infrastructure business of industrial parks to install automatic and continuous wastewater monitoring systems according to regulations; urge records for calculating fees for granting water resource exploitation rights; urge and guide the implementation of legal regulations on water resources, strengthen the management and exploitation of surface water sources.

In 2024, the Department also collected environmental protection fees for industrial wastewater from enterprises in Nam Dinh city and industrial parks for more than 1.6 billion VND; conducted 8 inspections of compliance with the law on water resources; extended licenses for exploitation and use of underground water and surface water according to regulations; reviewed and inspected the development of oil spill response plans and implemented them according to approved plans of petroleum depots, petroleum depots, petroleum ports, and petroleum trading stations in the province. The Department coordinated with relevant agencies and units in responding to oil spills, salvaging the Sunrise 268 ship, registration number HP-5928, which sank on April 30, 2024 in the waters of Nam Dinh province...

With drastic solutions, the quality of surface water in Nam Dinh is currently assessed as quite good, ensuring safety for production and daily life. However, facing pressure from industrial, agricultural, medical and domestic wastewater, the province continues to strengthen strict management to protect the rivers.

Practical actions in response to World Water Day 2025

In response to this year's World Water Day, all levels, functional sectors, organizations and unions of the province closely followed the launching plan of the Provincial People's Committee, promoted propaganda on the theme launched by the United Nations, and paid special attention to promoting the implementation of programs suitable to local realities. In particular, from March 19, 2025 to March 31, 2025, the Department of Agriculture and Environment was the focal unit to guide and organize key activities such as: Hanging billboards, banners, posters in public areas with messages on protecting water resources; organizing seminars, talks, and exhibitions to raise awareness about water resources, climate change and sustainable development. Launching environmental sanitation, dredging canals, collecting waste, contributing to cleaning up rivers, and improving urban landscapes. Promote propaganda on media, calling on all people to respond to World Water Day with content about the role and importance of water resources, protection and restoration of rivers, weather and climate, exploitation and use of forecasting information, early warning, impact forecasting, climate change adaptation..., contributing to promoting the implementation of millennium goals, socio-economic development, environmental protection within the river basin, nationally and globally.

At the same time, functional sectors and localities also strengthen management and guidance to ensure that organizations and individuals exploiting and using water strictly comply with legal regulations related to water resource management and protection, including: Strictly implementing the application for a license or registration for water resource exploitation, declaring and calculating fees for granting the right to exploit water resources with competent authorities; determining and proposing the scope of the sanitary protection zone of the domestic water intake area; organizing sanitation and garbage collection, ensuring that within the sanitary protection zone of the domestic water intake area there are no sources of waste that risk polluting the exploited water source. Periodically inspect, maintain or replace and clean the equipment of the exploitation works; inspect the monitoring system, observe the exploited water source, production process, clean water transmission and supply; develop a plan to arrange a backup water supply source in case the exploited water source is contaminated with salt or polluted to ensure the quality of clean water for daily use for the people. Organizations and individuals exploiting and using water with unused or damaged groundwater wells must proactively register with the People's Committee of the commune, ward or town where the project is located to fill the well according to regulations.

In the long term, the provincial authorities and functional branches will maintain and strengthen the management and protection of water resources according to the plan determined in the period of 2021-2030 to ensure: In the work of collecting and treating wastewater, 90% of domestic wastewater is collected and treated to ensure the permitted standards; for industrial wastewater, 100% of newly built production and business establishments and 90% of old production establishments treat wastewater to meet environmental standards, 90% of industrial zones and clusters have centralized wastewater treatment systems that meet the permitted standards; 80% of livestock and aquaculture wastewater is collected and treated to ensure the permitted standards. At the same time, attention will be paid to improving and restoring polluted water sources with measures to make a list and establish water source protection corridors; improve water quality, minimize pollution levels, and ensure that all river sections meet the water quality targets according to the plan; Fill 100% of the wells that must be filled in the area. Continue to improve management efficiency to ensure that 100% of the number of wastewater discharge facilities in operation that are required to prepare records for a license to discharge wastewater into water sources are granted a license according to the provisions of the Law on Environmental Protection 2020.

Article and photos: Thanh Thuy

Source: https://baonamdinh.vn/kinh-te/202503/huong-ung-ngay-nuoc-the-gioi-223-chu-trong-bao-tonphuc-hoi-chat-luong-nuoc-song-9ed7e50/