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 across the island.
Water quality problems also exist, with wastewater discharged directly to combined sewers or open channels, canals, rivers, streams and beaches. The one existing landfill site is overloaded and poses a significant pollution threat to the nearby Cua Can River as well as to groundwater tables.
With few major natural or anthropogenic storages on the island and inadequate drainage in urban areas, Phu Quoc frequently experiences flooding under high rainfall conditions. In most cases, flooding occurs at a localized scale, but the damage to road infrastructure, house assets and local livelihoods is significant. Flooding is exacerbated by the increase in the paved surfaces in urban areas, encroachment of natural waterways and infilling of low-lying areas.
After completing the water resources stocktaking assessment, the next phase of the project will be to engage in further consultation with government and community partners, as well as private groups such as hotels and NGOs who are active in environmental sustainability on the island. Together with these stakeholders, ICEM will articulate the vision, objectives and targets for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) on the island.
The IWRM plan will detail recommended interventions including Nature-Based solutions for IWRM and other strategies based on circular economy principles such as water savings and reuse, solid waste recycling, reuse of treated wastewater, renewable energy and degradable materials.
The outputs of the Phu Quoc IWRMA will form part of the World Bank’s preparatory technical studies to assist authorities in Kien Giang Province and Phu Quoc City to enhance the design of the larger investment Phu Quoc Island Sustainable Water Management Project (SWMP). The SWMP supports resilient infrastructure investment for water supply, drainage, flood retention, wastewater management and solid/plastic waste collection, in targeted areas critical for Phu Quoc’s sustainable development.
World Water Day has been observed for the past 20 years, and it is a day to raise awareness about our need to preserve freshwater. It is a good practice among people who use or manage this resource sustainably so we can all enjoy clean waters in future.