Hanoi (VNA) – Experts sharedinformation on smart water management policies and technologies for sustainabledevelopment during a workshop in Hanoi on August 8.
President of the Vietnam Water Supply andSewerage Association (VWSA) Cao Lai Quang said Vietnam is facing a number ofchallenges in this field such as urban population growth, limited budget, poormanagement capacity, water pollution, climate change impacts, including droughts,floods, and saltwater intrusion.
Given these difficulties, the country isfocusing on policies reforms to attract more investment in new science andtechnology, he said, adding that some leading businesses have applied manysmart water management solutions to catch up with the fourth industrialrevolution (Industry 4.0).
He stressed the necessity to promote theadoption of such solutions in order to secure sustainable development.
Head of the Ministry of Construction’sDepartment of Technology Infrastructure Mai Thi Lien Huong said the country hasover 500 urban water supply systems with a total capacity of 8.7 million cubicmetres per day. Seventy percent of which are able to supply wateraround-the-clock while the remaining could provide water for 8-20 hours perday. Notably, the rate of water loss in Vietnam remains high, averagely at 22.5percent.
It requires a large amount of investment inwater supply and drainage, she said, referring to the limited budget in thefield.
To address the financial problem, Paul Smith,director of international cooperation from the Australia Water Association,said partners in the private sector could bring improvements to the watersector.
He shared that governments in many countrieshave adopted the public-private partnership (PPP) model over the past 20 yearsas it can save financial resources and promote effective provision of services.
Each country will select the most suitable modelaccording to their situation but with the common goal of sustainabledevelopment, he said.
The workshop was held by the UBM Asia Limitedunder the chair of VWSA as part of the activities in the Vietnam'sInternational Water Supply, Sanitation, Water Resources, and Purification Event(Vietwater 2018) to be held in Ho Chi Minh City from September 7-9 with theparticipation of 500 businesses from 41 countries and territories.
The event created a good chance for enterprisesto seek partners and introduce their latest products and technologies in thewater industry.-VNA
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At the workshop (Photo: VOV) 
