Stepping up water resources planning is among the core tasks the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has set for 2017, aiming to complete a national water resources planning by 2020 and others for major river basins.

The ministry assigned the National Centre for Water Resources Planning and Investigation to focus on making a plan for the Red River-Thai Binh River water resources, while speeding up water resources planning for Bang Giang, Ky Cung and Serepok river basins.

At the same time, the centre must conduct basic investigation into surface and underground water resources, making it a long-term task that is closely associated with planning.

According to Trieu Duc Huy, deputy head of the centre, in 2016, the centre started designing the water resources planning for Red River and Thai Binh River basins by 2030 with a vision to 2050, while implementing a number of water projects in the Mekong Delta, south central and Central Highlands regions.

Among those are projects to thoroughly deal with water shortages in dry season and ensuring water security for drought-hit areas in the regions, he said.

Huy added that the centre has also worked on a project to protect underground water in major cities, and another to assess water resources in a number of big and important islands serving the development of the marine economy and safeguarding national sovereignty over seas and islands.

VNA