AsemconnectVietnam - Irrigation development to meet the goals of economic, society and environment development by 2020, with a vision to 2050, as the basis for sustainable agricultural development in the direction of modern, highly intensive, contributing economic development, improving people*s lives, ensuring food security and exports, national interests and harmony of interests between regions and sectors.

I. Viewpoints
1. Exploit and use rationally water, serve multi-purpose, unified under river basin and the irrigation system, not separated by administrative boundaries. Exploitation and use coupling with protection against degradation and depletion of  water resource, renew water sources by measures of projects and non-projects. Pay attention to water environment protection, particularly environment in the irrigation system.
2. Improve safety standards against natural disasters: hurricanes, floods, flash floods, drought, flooding, salinization, landslides... There are appropriate plans and measures for each region, prevent, avoid or adapt to minimize the damage.
3. Management, exploitation, development and use of water resources ensure the immediate requirements and not conflict with development needs in future, adapt to and mitigate the negative impacts of climate change and seawater rise.
4. Focus on irrigation development in mountainous, remote, border and island areas, especially those areas with special difficulties in water, associated with social policies, contribute to the successful implementation of the program to -delete- poverty reduction, resettlement and security and defense.
5. Management, use and development of water resources must always be associated with characteristics of Vietnamese water resources which are increasingly depleted and degraded in quality, increasing demand for water, the increasingly powerful impact of climate change to   water.
II. Guidelines
1. Government unifies state management of irrigation on the whole country. Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is the permanent body to coordinate with the concerned agencies shall assist the Government in the implementation of state management for field irrigation.
2. Ensure proper implementation of the policy of the Party and State's policies and laws. Gradual improvement of the legal system, document under laws, policies, organization and management system from the central to grassroots levels. To enhance the effectiveness of governance management and improve accountability of all organizations and individuals for irrigation activities.
3. Strategic direction of Vietnam’s irrigation development strategy to 2020 and vision to 2050 to perform synchronization, key stage, both urgent and long-term to ensure sustainable development, consistent with the climate change and seawater level rise.
4. Orientation of water resource development strategy bring social economic efficiency both immediate and long term. Follow the motto of the State and people work together. The State shall ensure the necessary resources, and mobilize contributions of community, organizations and individuals at home and abroad. Promoting roles, responsibility of communities in the management, operation and protection of works. The construction of irrigation works must ensure the technical and aesthetic standards, implementation of integrated use, ensure harmony with nature and environmental protection.
5. Ensure the implementation of international commitments in the field of irrigation.
III. Target
1. The overall objective
- Develop irrigation toward modernization-orientation, increase the guaranteed level of water supply for living, industrial, agricultural, tourism, services, ensure food security, commodity agricultural production and in order to enhance competitiveness, thus contributing to sustainable socio-economic development, poverty reduction.
- Active prevention and mitigation of natural disasters and higher standards to ensure drainage and prevent flooding, protect the ecological environment, gradually adapting to climate change and seawater rise.
2. Specific objectives to 2020
Goal 1: Water Supply
- The rate of water supply for urban and 90% of grade IV or higher, standard water supply of 120 liters / person / day; grade V, 70% water supply from centralized water supply system with level standard of 80 liters / person / day.
- Supply water for industrial development at levels ranging from 50 - 100 m3/day/ha, particularly interested in water-scarce regions: the central province of Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Nha Trang, Vung Tau...
- Supply full of  water to exploit 4.5 million hectares of arable land (3.83 million ha of rice land only), towards ensuring irrigation for 100% of two-crop rice area (3.32 million ha ), lift irrigation ensuring frequency to 85%.
- Ensure active irrigation water for the development of the fruit, aquaculture and focused salt production.
Objective 2: drainage and environmental protection.
- Actively and raise the frequency to ensure drainage for the big cities of Hanoi, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Ca Mau... taking into account the impact of climate change and seawater rise.
- Enhanced ability to exit the main river, increase drainage by motive engine, ensure drainage in the plains, low-lying areas for the development of people's livelihood, agriculture and other economic sectors frequency to ensure 5 ÷ 10%, to adapt to the conditions of climate change and sea level rise:
+ The North Delta: ensuring drainage for residential, agricultural production areas.
+ Central coast region: strengthen the ability to escape the flooding of the residential areas, agricultural production for the summer-autumn and winter-spring.
+ The Mekong Delta: in shallow flooded ensure digestive whole year, in the deep region drainage for summer-autumn and winter-spring.
- Make sure that the water in the irrigation system meets irrigation water standards.
Objective 3: proactive prevention and mitigation of natural disasters.
- Raise level of safety to prevent natural disasters, storms, floods, proactively prevent, avoid or adapt to minimize losses and protect the safety of residents.
- Have work solution to prevent flooding, ensure the safety of the population, protect 3.83 million ha of paddy, ensure stable and production development in climate changing conditions and seawater level rise.
- Gradually raise the flood control capacity of the river dyke system in the major river basins in northern and north central with frequency to ensure that:

- Actively prevent, avoid flood and adapt to protect people in other river basins of central, south central coast, central highlands, southeast; ensure the production of summer-autumn, winter-spring with a guarantee frequency rate 5 ÷ 10%.
- Control completely flood in the flooded area in Mekong river delta, to ensure the living conditions and the safety of people's life and production in the deep-flood area. In 2015 control major flood equivalent to floods in 1961 in mainstream and floods in the interior field in 2000. From after 2015 further strengthening the works, embankments for flood control system at a higher level.
- Sea, river dyke system ensure minimum protection against storm level 9 and a frequency tide of 5%, in line with each stage and the importance of  protection zone.
- Ensure safety of reservoirs, dykes, embankments, stabilization of river coast.
Objective 4: To improve capacity of management and exploitation of irrigation work, ensure promotion of more than 90% of design capacity.
Objective 5: To raise conservancy of irrigation science and technology to reach the Asian average of 2020, in 2050 reach average advanced level in the world.
IV. Tasks and Solutions
1. Common tasks and solutions
1.1. Strengthening the organization and management, improve policies and mechanism:
- Add, complete irrigation development plan of regions, river basins to serve multiple objectives, meet the demand on water for living, industry, agriculture, anti-flooding prevention and mitigation of natural disasters and adapt to climate change and sea level rise. Enhance baseline for management.
- To improve the system of normative law: Construct law and decree guiding the implementation of law on construction, exploitation and protection of irrigation works, the decision of the Prime Minister on the socialization of water supply and sanitation in rural areas; complete system of standards and norms, mechanisms and policies on construction, irrigation economy, raising capital, for industrial water supply, activities, services and policies to support farmers in the management of small irrigation works.
- To strengthen the system of irrigation management:
+ To strengthen the system of irrigation State management from the central to grassroots levels.
+ Consolidate and strengthen the capacity of  management committee for water resources plan of river basins: Red - Thai Binh, Dong Nai and Cuu Long, Ca, Srepok, Vu Gia – Thu Bon and establish water resources plan management board : Ma, Huong, Kone - Ha Thanh, Tra Khuc, Ba rivers...
+ Strengthening the capacity of the company of  management and exploitation of irrigation; complete organizational structure of the company under the enterprise law, to improve the management and operation mechanism.
+ Continue to establish and build mode of operation of water use cooperatives.
1.2. Development of science and technology:
- Research and application of technology, equipment, advanced materials in the survey, design, irrigation works, adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change and sea level rise.
- Research and application of advanced technical solutions, suitable for efficient exploitation of water resources in mountainous areas, coastal areas, improving acidic. Research and application of water-saving irrigation technology for crops.
- Applied research and technology development and evaluation software to calculate water resources, water balance, flow regulation, politics, river and flood identification, establish operating procedures of major integrated use reservoirs; research developments of erosion of the river bed and banks of rivers; research appropriate solutions to control flood and disaster reduction in the central, responding to climate change and sea level rise; -update- and add system of flood risk maps; forecasting and warning areas at risk of flash floods.
- To study the fabrication and installation of pumps, turbines and small hydro facilities; application of advanced , modern canal dredging equipment; installation of water measuring system, operating automatically irrigation system.
1.3. Strengthen the training of human resources
- Development of new training, improve the content of training programs.
- Training balanced, reasonable in structure between the technical staff, researchers, managers and skilled workers.
- Training in many forms: re-training, training on the undergraduate, graduate, focus on team of managers and plan staff  and manage local projects ....
- Training and raise capacity of management, public awareness of participation in the management and exploitation of irrigation, management and mitigation of natural disaster base on the community,
1.4. Focus on the construction and completion of irrigation works:
- Set up investment plan: build key investment plan, especially the integration of development programs of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, rural development to coordinate support, avoidance of double investment in order to promote efficiency and ensure the implementation of socio-economic development objectives of the country and each region and each period.
- Focus on investment in upgrading existing irrigation systems: definite investment for each system, upgrade and modernize works, canals, and control and operating device to promote capacity design and upgrade service capacity.
- Continue to invest in the construction of small irrigation in upland , deep-lying, remote, border and island to supply water for irrigation and service activities.
1.5. To enhance international cooperation
- Strengthen cooperation in the exploitation of international rivers (Mekong, Red River ....) in view of cooperation, equality, sustainable development and respect for the interests of the parties.
- Continue to expand international cooperation in the field of institutional management of water resources and irrigation works.
- Enlist the cooperation, support, technology and financial transfer of  international organizations for irrigation development and water protection.
1.6. Mobilizing and strengthening the participation of communities
- Develop funding mechanisms consistent with the growing trend to mobilize all sources of capital: the state budget, foreign loans, capital from individuals and institutions of the people of the benefit under motto of the State and people working together, developing internal resources and the strength of the whole society.
- Strengthen the propaganda, education, awareness and community participation in the management, exploitation and protection of irrigation works, management and community-based disaster mitigation.
2. Tasks and solutions to develop irrigation for each region
Tasks and solutions to develop irrigation solutions for each region are specified in detail in Appendix.
3. Adapt with climate change and seawater rise
The key solution for developing irrigation to adapt to the impacts of climate change and sea level rise:
- Assess impact of changes in climate and sea level rise on the irrigation system, especially in areas where the greatest impact of climate change and sea level rise: plain of Red river, the central coast and the Mekong delta.
- Research and application of new design criteria to improve the level of guaranteed water supply, drainage, flood control to adapt to conditions of climate change, sea level rise.
- Review and supplement plans, step by step construction of large estuaries to keep fresh water, drainage adapt to conditions of climate change and sea level rise in the Red river delta, the central coast and the Mekong delta.
- Investment in construction and upgrade sea dikes, river dikes to ensure the safety of people's life and production.
- Develop programs to upgrade irrigation systems for water supply, drainage, safety works.
- Research and application of advanced technology solutions for water supply, drainage, process of management, operation of irrigation systems to limit the adverse impacts of climate change and sea level rise.
V. Action Plan
From now to 2020 focusing on the implementation of the following programs:
1. Management strengthen program
Strengthening the planning, management, improve policies and organizations to security exploit, rational, economical use to serve efficient socio-economic sectors in the immediate period and do not conflict with the long-term development needs, including:
- Build irrigation law, review, amend and supplement the relevant legal documents.
- To build a complete system of standards, technical regulations.
- Construct and complete mechanisms and policies in the construction, management, exploitation and protection of irrigation works.
- To strengthen the system of state management of irrigation
- To consolidate and strengthen the management board of irrigation planning.
- To improve the organizational structure of irrigation work management, mining.
- Irrigation master plan of socio-economic areas to adapt to conditions of climate change, sea level rise.
- Irrigation planning for drainage, combat flooding for the urban population centers.
- Revise, supplement and adjust irrigation planning of river basins, regions and territories.
- Revise, supplement and adjust the irrigation system planning.
- Irrigation survey
2. Science and technology development program
Raise irrigation scientific and technology reach Asian average level in 2020, namely: scientific and technology research for water supply, drainage, proactive prevention, mitigation, adaptation climate change and sea level rise; application of new technology, new materials, building database systems of advanced science and technology to serve planning, design, construction, management and operation of the irrigation system in the direction of modernization, sustainable development and adaptation to climate change and sea level rise.

L.Giang
Source: www.mpi.gov.vn