Water

Country Water Actions: Viet Nam
Integrated Water Resources Management:
Practical Experiences and Successful Lessons in Bac Kan Province, Vietnam

The purpose of the pilot study is to document practical experiences and lessons learned in the community management of water resources and to provide support to local communities in improving their water management processes and system for better implementation of IWRM in Bac Kan province.

Specifically, the objectives are to:

• Document experiences, successes, and lessons learned in community management of water resources such as participatory irrigation management, water supply, watershed protection, and environmental sanitation, among others, in some localities in Bac Kan provinces
• Disseminate and strengthen local community and institutional capabilities in the implementation of IWRM
• Provide support to local Water Users Associations and community development institutions to enhance their capabilities in implementing integrated water resources management

The pilot study is being conducted by the Vietnam Water Partnership (VNWP).

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Majority of Bac Kan's province's land is forested, i.e., 95.3% out of 4,793.84 km2 of natural area (Table 1). Bac Kan lies completely within the tropical monsoon region with two distinct seasons: rainy season from May to October and dry season from November to April. The total amount of rainfall during the dry season accounts for only 10-12 % of total annual rainfall. As a result, water shortage is commonly experienced during the dry season.

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• A survey conducted by the project showed that there are 2,243 irrigation and drainage schemes in the province, most of which are very small schemes serving an area ranging from a few hectares to tens of hectares of agriculture land. In the past few years, with investments from the government and some international donors, nearly 150 irrigation schemes had been upgraded, increasing the irrigation service area by more than 25 percent.
• The Province, District and Commune People Committees are the local government administrators at the Province, District, and Commune levels, respectively.
• Participatory management of water resources in agriculture has been promoted in Bac Kan Province since late 1990s. In a number of localities such as Bach Thong, Cho Moi and Cho Don, Water Users Associations (WUAs) have been established as a response to the water shortage problems.
• Consequently, irrigation infrastructures in the area are relatively well protected and managed, and water situation with regard to water for agricultural production, domestic use and environmental sanitation is gradually improving.
• A case study of Nguyen Phuc Commune in Bac Kan was completed to learn local knowledge and practices in water management. As a result of WUA's establishment, irrigation improved tremendously.

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• Local officials are gradually recognizing the value and importance of harnessing local support and cooperation in managing water resources, towards addressing the needs of farmers and the administrators.
• Simple consultation activities already contribute to local empowerment, with local stakeholders' concerns increasingly being incorporated in government plans and decisions at various levels.
• Government support to community-initiated programs is crucial towards increasing its sustainability and further drawing community members into the programs. The active participation of local government administrators likewise allows the gradual incorporation of the program's learnings into government policies and decisions.

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• Strengthen interaction between stakeholders and local governments through conduct of regular dialogues on water management issues towards developing joint action initiatives to address such issues
• Conduct local level capacity building activities for water management