Building modern, smart irrigation for Vietnam's water security

The Department of Irrigation Works Management and Construction aims for modern, smart, sustainable irrigation, ensuring water security and rural development in Vietnam.

After the process of organizational consolidation and streamlining, the Department of Irrigation Works Management and Construction has promoted the tradition of solidarity and the courage to innovate thinking, excellently completing its tasks in the period of 2020 - 2025, making an important contribution to ensuring water security, safety of dams and reservoirs, and sustainable development of irrigation and rural water supply.

From streamlining the apparatus to improving management efficiency

The merger of two focal units, the Department of Irrigation and the Department of Construction Management, according to the decision of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is a turning point in the organization, creating a unified and synchronous agency.

The streamlined apparatus helps the Department increase its leadership and direction and promote efficiency in state management of irrigation, a field of strategic significance to national water security.

Cai Lon - Cai Be salinity control irrigation project. Photo: Dao Trung Chanh.

The 2020 - 2025 term recorded many milestones in institutional work. The Department has advised on the promulgation and amendment of a series of important documents such as Decree 114/2018/ND-CP on dam and reservoir safety management; Decree replacing Decree 96/2018/ND-CP on prices of irrigation products and services; along with nearly 60 circulars, 54 standards and 1 specialized technical regulation.

In particular, the Department has advised the Politburo to issue Conclusion No. 36-KL/TW on ensuring water security and safety of dams and reservoirs; the Government issued Decision 847/QD-TTg on Planning for natural disaster prevention and control and irrigation for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050. Along with that are the Vietnam Irrigation Development Strategy and the National Strategy on clean water supply and rural sanitation to 2030, with a vision to 2045... These are fundamental documents orienting the development of the industry towards modernity, multi-purpose and sustainability.

Irrigation management and operation have achieved many outstanding results: ensuring enough water for irrigation and daily life, even in dry years; proactively responding to drought and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta; and operating water supply for the winter-spring crop in the Red River Delta economically and effectively.

The Department was rated "4 best" by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment: highest disbursement rate of public investment capital, fastest handling of backlog projects, ahead of schedule of many large projects and highest investment efficiency.

Key projects such as Cai Lon - Cai Be, Ninh Quoi, Rach Mop... were completed ahead of schedule, contributing to regulating water resources, ensuring production and people's lives. The rate of rural households using clean water reached 58%, fulfilling the target assigned by the Government.

Towards green, modern irrigation for people

Entering a new phase, in the context of administrative restructuring, digital transformation and green growth requirements, the Department has identified the goal of developing a modern, smart and sustainable irrigation system, associated with ensuring water security and rural development.

Institutional and policy breakthroughs to perfect the legal system towards streamlining procedures, integrating river basin and water resources management; building a strong socialization mechanism in investment, management, and exploitation of irrigation works and rural water supply; promoting financial autonomy for irrigation exploitation enterprises.

Breakthroughs in science and technology and digital transformation towards developing smart irrigation, applying artificial intelligence and real-time data in forecasting and operating reservoir dam systems, early warning of drought, saltwater intrusion and flooding; building a digital database for the irrigation sector, a multi-objective management decision support model, ensuring safety and efficiency.

Make a breakthrough in investment in irrigation infrastructure to focus on developing inter-regional, inter-provincial, multi-purpose projects; build a water resource network to regulate and balance resources between regions; invest in clean water projects for the Mekong Delta, the Central Highlands and the Northern mountainous region, thoroughly solving the shortage of domestic water in the dry season.

With the spirit of “Solidarity - Discipline - Creativity - Development”, the Department of Irrigation Works Management and Construction is focusing on innovation in thinking, institutional breakthroughs and application of modern technology to realize the goal of building a green, modern, smart irrigation system, ensuring national water security and improving the quality of life of rural Vietnamese people in the era of sustainable development.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/xay-dung-thuy-loi-hien-dai-thong-minh-vi-an-ninh-nguon-nuoc-viet-nam-d782660.html