Pilot and Demonstration Activity
Initiating Integrated Water Resources Planning in the Vu Gia Basin
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To bring integrated water resource management (IWRM) in Viet Nam's Vu Gia basin, this PDA established the Committee for the Management and Control of Integrated Water Resources. The committee is tasked to introduce and promote IWRM principles to relevant government agencies and community representatives.
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| PDA SNAPSHOT |
| Project Site |
Vu Gia Basin, Viet Nam |
| Cost Estimate |
$50,000 |
| Status |
Completed |
| Approval Date |
2005/06/16 |
| Completion Date |
December 2006 |
| Category |
Basin Management |
| Type |
Institutional Development |
| Proponent |
Pieter Smidt, Extended Mission in Sumatra |
| Partner |
Quang Nam People's Committee |
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BACKGROUND
 This pilot and demonstration activity (PDA) reflects initial discussions on the concept of establishing a Water Resources Review Committee for the Vu Gia Basin in Vietnam. The committee aims to promote integrated water resources management. The project has received positive feedback from both the People's Committee of Quang Nam Province and ADB.
The Vu Gia Basin faces the following water resources concerns:
- Major expansion plans for approximately 1,200 MW hydropower in the Vu Gia- Thu Bon basins
- Highly sectoral approach to water resources planning, hydropower, irrigation, environment, etc.
- Interaction between operation of hydropower projects and downstream uses - fluctuating water levels, impacts on fish resources and agriculture, potential for flood management, salinity management and increased dry season irrigation in coastal areas
- Concerns over deteriorating water quality
- High incidence of poverty in upper basin and majority of population are ethnic minorities
- Institutional vacuum for river basin management
- Concerns raised over centralized and unsustainable approach to river basin organizations (RBOs) in Viet Nam to date
- Scope for benefits to all sectors through an integrated system approach
- Potential to introduce payments for environmental services under the new Forestry Law
An integrated approach to basin management is consistent with ADB's support to institutional reforms in the water sector and investment portfolio in energy and water sectors.
Although the Vu Gia and Thu Bon basins are interconnected, the former can also be considered relatively independent. It will be the focus of the PDA since seven of the eight proposed hydropower projects are in Vu Gia, and their influence will be most felt there.
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OBJECTIVES
- Introduce to relevant government agencies and community representatives the principles of IWRM and the importance of coordination among sectors
- Provide a forum for considering alternative operation modalities of the proposed hydropower projects
- Develop recommendations for operationalizing IWRM within the basin
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EXPECTED OUTPUTS
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Output from the PDA will include but not necessarily be limited to:
- Functional cross-sectoral committee for optimizing water resources management
- Recommended options for hydropower operation in the basin
- Raised awareness of the benefits of IWRM
- Initial steps towards RBO establishment (if deemed necessary)
- Recommendation addressing critical IWRM issues in the Vu Gia basin
- Provincial linkage to institutional reforms being implemented at national level in the water resources sector
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REPORT CARD
This PDA was completed in December 2006. Read the Final Report .
This PDA
- Helped establish the Committee for the Management and Control of Integrated Water Resources of the Vu Gia Basin through consultations and workshops with government, communities, and other stakeholders
- Helped the People's Committee of Quang Nam province to form a river basin organization for the province and neighboring Da Nang City that would ensure the implementation of planned hydropower developments within an integrated water resources management (IWRM) framework
- Empowered provincial leadership in adopting integrated water resources management as they involved both government agencies and local community representatives
- Raised awareness on the benefits of IWRM within water-related agencies and river basin communities
- Linked institutional reforms implemented in the water resources sector at national level to the provincial and local levels
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REPORTS AND RELATED DOCUMENTS
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- ADB took the lead in this initiative which was facilitated through financial support from the Water Cooperation Fund.
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Topics 
Initiating Integrated Water Resources Planning in the Vu Gia Basin
