Monday 22 March – World Water Day 

In the past ten years, Phu Quoc Island has emerged as one of the hottest holiday destination in Vietnam for both national and international tourists.

In recent years, the rapid growth of the tourism sector has come hand in hand with numerous water-related challenges, from water supply and drainage, wastewater and solid waste management to upstream watershed protection and conservation of marine ecosystem and marine resources.

Addressing these challenges requires a holistic, integrated approach. In this context, the Phu Quoc Integrated Water Resources Management Assessment (IWRMA) project was launched by the World Bank in November 2020 to support Phu Quoc to improve water resources management practices and sustainably develop the water sector.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nhan, Vice Chairman of the Kien Giang People’s Committee, highlights the need to have a comprehensive picture of the water environment on Phu Quoc Island.

ICEM spent two weeks in Phu Quoc in January 2021 to gain an initial understanding of the views, concerns and priorities of the authorities and local communities on water issues. The team visited different sites around the island to build an improved understanding of local context and to identify issues affecting water resources and water users.

Left to right: Consultations with local government agencies, piano-type spillway under construction to expand storage capacity of Duong , landfill in Cua Duong commune 

Initial findings from the mission are:

Phu Quoc is facing a significant water shortage in the dry season, and a large share of the population (mostly in rural areas) still depend on groundwater for domestic uses

Meanwhile, groundwater is under pressure from the rapid development of the tourism sector, with poorly regulated extraction from hotels and restaurants […]