Speaking at the event, Deputy Director of the Department of Water Resources Management Ngo Manh Ha said that socio-economic development in the recent past has led to increased groundwater extraction. Meanwhile, urbanisation has resulted in surface cementation, reducing rainwater and surface water infiltration into groundwater and subsequently leading to a decline in water levels and degradation of groundwater aquifers.
Signs of groundwater aquifer degradation have appeared in the Mekong Delta, Ho Chi Minh City, and many urban areas in Vietnam, he pointed out.
Vietnam and Finland have long-lasting cooperation in the water sector, Ha said, adding that the workshop provided an opportunity for both sides to share experiences in groundwater management, especially when the 2023 Law on Water Resources took effect on July 1, 2024.
This law includes regulations on protecting groundwater resources and artificial recharge to restore groundwater in areas facing degradation and depletion, amid assessments that Vietnam's water resources are overabundant but also too insufficient and too polluted.
Sharing some experiences from Finland, Maija Seppala, Development Policy Counsellor at the Finnish Embassy in Vietnam, said that Finland has made significant progress in managing groundwater resources by establishing a framework for groundwater management which is considered one of the most comprehensive of its kind in the world.
She said that Finland has set up a groundwater monitoring network to track water quality and quantity, and detect trends in water levels, pollution, and depletion. This monitoring helps ensure that groundwater issues such as pollution or over-extraction are identified early and addressed promptly.
At the workshop, Finnish experts also shared experiences from groundwater recharge projects that have been implemented in Vietnam. They suggested Vietnam apply the world's advanced regulations on groundwater management and artificial recharge.
