Project: Effectively exploiting surface water, planning and building a freshwater reservoir system, associated with the construction of clean water treatment plants, gradually limiting and eventually stopping the exploitation of groundwater for domestic use in Ca Mau province.

Faced with the increasingly serious situation of climate change, saltwater intrusion, land subsidence and groundwater depletion, on November 29, 2025, the Department of Agriculture and Environment submitted to the Provincial People's Committee the Project: Effectively exploiting surface water, planning and building a freshwater reservoir system, associated with the construction of clean water treatment plants, gradually limiting and eventually stopping the exploitation of groundwater for domestic use in Ca Mau province.

The freshwater reservoir in Khanh An Commune , Ca Mau Province, is 102 hectares wide and is currently the largest freshwater reservoir in the province.

The project identifies the key objectives of effectively exploiting surface water resources, building a system of reservoirs and clean water plants, gradually reducing and eventually stopping the exploitation of groundwater for domestic use, thereby ensuring water security and sustainable adaptation to climate change. By 2030, the province will complete the planning of the network of surface water exploitation, reservoirs and clean water plants for the entire province; determine the list of priority multi-purpose freshwater reservoirs, locations of clean water plants and water supply areas, and at the same time reduce the proportion of groundwater in domestic water supply according to the project's roadmap. By 2050, the system of reservoirs and surface water plants will ensure the main supply of domestic water and the province will basically stop exploiting groundwater for domestic use.
The project focuses on investigating, reviewing and assessing the current status of surface water, rainwater and groundwater, including collecting hydrological data - water quality, field surveys and updating data for analysis. On that basis, the project identifies the main surface water sources, selects raw water intake points, delineates water source protection corridors and proposes source creation and connection works for each region. At the same time, the project reviews and evaluates the capacity and service area of ​​existing water supply works, as a basis for developing planning orientations for supplementing or upgrading clean water treatment plants, organizing transmission - distribution networks and determining the ability to connect water supply areas to expand the scope of surface water use in the province.
The multi-purpose freshwater reservoir development component is identified as a key solution in the Project, aiming to create a stable water storage capacity to serve the needs of daily life and production, while supporting the reduction of drought and salinity risks according to the characteristics of the coastal areas of the Mekong Delta. Based on the assessment of the current situation and the priority areas for reservoir arrangement, the Project develops a set of criteria for selecting the location and scale of reservoirs, including groups of criteria on water resources, demand - efficiency, natural - technical conditions, socio- economic - land use and spatial - operational linkages. In addition, the Project establishes a scoring scale and weights, tests scoring 3-5 reservoir locations, calibrates a set of criteria and uses them to score, rank and screen potential reservoir locations, thereby selecting a list of priority multi-purpose freshwater reservoirs at the provincial level and building a spatial model of the reservoir system, associated with proposals for preliminary water balance calculations, useful capacity, operating water level and main items of the reservoir.
For groundwater, the Project develops a roadmap to gradually reduce the flow and number of exploitation points in each risk area, based on the level of water level decline, density of exploitation wells, signs of subsidence and water quality degradation. Based on risk zoning and progress of surface water development, the Project proposes scenarios for stopping or reducing groundwater exploitation by region, prioritizing early cessation in very high-risk areas and reducing flow in high-risk areas without complete alternative sources. At the same time, the province will deploy technical solutions to convert the supply source to surface water, including renovating pipelines, pumping stations, treatment tanks and converting a number of groundwater plants to exploit surface water or reservoir water according to the alternative source planning. To ensure the transition process, the Project proposes a support mechanism for water supply units and households, such as investment support - preferential loans to convert sources, adjust water prices according to the roadmap, support connection costs, fill unused wells and implement communication - consultation programs for people in small groundwater-dependent areas.
In parallel with the construction solutions, the Project focuses on perfecting the management mechanism and adjusting water prices by region, through reviewing the water price framework, analyzing production costs from different sources and proposing an adjustment roadmap to encourage the conversion to using surface water - reservoirs while still ensuring people's affordability. The Project simultaneously mobilizes socialized resources and PPP in investing in reservoirs and water plants, on the basis of reviewing the legal framework, identifying a list of projects calling for investment and proposing a mechanism for sharing risks and benefits between the State and investors. Along with that, the Project strengthens the protection of water sources and reservoir corridors, promotes the application of smart monitoring technology, expands the automatic monitoring network and completes the digital database to serve the operation and supervision of the water supply system in the whole province. Communication and public awareness raising on sustainable exploitation of water resources, economical water use and reduced dependence on groundwater are identified as important contents to increase social consensus and support the province's source conversion roadmap.
The estimated cost of implementing the Project is about 24 billion VND, including three main groups: investigation and planning about 6 billion VND; development of freshwater reservoirs, clean water plants and transmission and distribution systems about 8 billion VND; and construction of databases, monitoring systems, digital transformation and communications about 10 billion VND. Capital is mobilized from the central budget, local budgets and socialized resources, PPP according to the orientation of the Project.
The implementation of the Project is expected to create a fundamental shift in ensuring water security, enhancing the ability to adapt to climate change, contributing to stabilizing domestic water supply and moving towards sustainable development for Ca Mau province in the coming decades./.

Source: https://sonnmt.camau.gov.vn/tin-hoat-dong/de-an-khai-thac-hieu-qua-nuoc-mat-quy-huach-va-xay-dung-he-thong-ho-chua-nuoc-ngot-gan-voi-xay-d-291720