Agriculture, natural resources and rural development / Water-based natural resources management

The incidence of poverty in Viet Nam is about 37 per cent, and 80 percent of the poort are farmers, who are not only dependent upon reliable and timely irrigation and drainage services (especially for rice cultivation), but are also the most vulnerable to the consequences of droughts, floods and poor water quality. Poorer farmers typically live at the end of the water distribution system, and their poverty its closely linked to unreliable and insufficient access to water and drainage services. Rehabilitation of irrigation and drainage infrastructure and improvement of water management is therefore a self-targeting poverty intervention.

A new assistance strategy for Viet Nam has been prepared for a second generation of investment projects that focus more on poverty reduction. The new Country Strategy and Program (CSP) has also underlined the importance of improving natural resources management, including water resources and forests. The design of the Project responds to ADB?s poverty reduction strategy and to its policy on water. Poverty reduction and other social development dimensions are more actively pursued as part of the new CSP. In Viet Nam, floods, drought, water pollution, and lack of access to irrigation and drainage services are linked to poverty in a vicious cycle. ADB?s water policy promotes water resources management investments in important river basins, with a holistic focus on watershed protection, water rights, and management infrastructure. The policy also requires investments to improve water services, such as irrigation, to increase the autonomy and accountability of service providers to meet the needs of the poor. Cost recovery, regulatory controls, and public education should work together in promoting sustainable water use in society. The Project was designed to respond to these policy directions, which are fully shared by the Government.

To protect and improve production, productivity and

income of farmers in the Red River Basin

(i) To improve agricultural performance of poorer communities through sustainable improvements in irrigation, better drainage, watershed protection and flood protection, within an integrated water resource management framework

(ii) To promote stakeholder participation in water management, with emphasis on women's participation

Project has closed. The Project has not and/or partly achieved many targets of its goal, purpose and outputs:

- The Project reduced impact of water-related natural disasters but failed to establish IWRM.

- 11 of 31 subprojects do not achieve this target.

(i) Upland irrigation systems and watershed protection improved

(iii) Flood protection systems

strengthened

(iv) Subproject planning, design,

and implementation capacity

established and operating at

all levels

(ii) Delta Irrigation and Drainage Systems Improved

Water Resource Management:

1. Institutional capacity enhanced for basinwide management in the Red River basin:

" RRBO fully functional and financed by Government

" Red River basin framework plan approved by December 2003

" Exchange arrangements established with two other basin organizations

2. Public awareness campaigns conducted on water resource management:

" Mass media program implemented by 2003

" Training material prepared and approved by Ministry of Culture

" Schoolchildren trained in 12 provinces by 2004, and in remaining provinces by 2006

3. Water quality monitoring network established:

" Water quality information used to plan and implement improved water quality programs

4. Pilot implementation undertaken for water rights licenses and wastewater discharge permits:

" Legislation established and information systems operational

" Successful implementation in Cau River basin

5. Project management support: Coordination between parts A and B

Water Service Investment Subprojects:

1. Upland irrigation systems and watershed protection improved:

" 20 subprojects completed and operational by 2007, covering 12,000 ha of rehabilitated irrigation area and 8,000 ha of reforestation

" RDS activities undertaken to increase benefits from irrigation and watershed protection

2. Delta irrigation and drainage systems improved:

" 10 subprojects completed and operational by 2007, covering 80,000 ha of rehabilitated irrigation

" RDS activities undertaken to increase benefits from irrigation and drainage

3. Flood protection systems strengthened:

" 10 subprojects completed by 2007, covering a total area of 1.5 million ha

4. Subproject planning, design, and implementation capacity established and operating at all levels:

" Subprojects prepared and formulated according to guidelines and criteria

" Subprojects completed within budget and schedule

" Measures identified for enhanced autonomy and accountability of water service providers

5. Enhanced capacity of implementing agencies and local authorities to target poverty reduction:

" Field manual prepared by April 2002

" Central and provincial BME units established and operational by 2002

" 200 project implementation and management staff trained

" 400 district-level community organizers trained

1. Consultation meetings are being carried out with stakeholders.

2. Selection of subprojects will be made adopting a consultative approach

with stakeholders in selected provinces.

3. Participating communities will be requested during the social preparation phase to prepare a village-level poverty reduction plan that shows how project activities together with their own initiatives will achieve the objectives of the project.

The Project will require approximately 1,018 person-months of consulting services, consisting of 366 months of international expertise and 652 months of local expertise. The consultants for Part A will consist of 250 person-months of international expertise and 361person-months of local expertise in water policy and planning, watershed management, gender and development, training, hydrology, information technology, legal and policy aspects of water licensing, information technology, mass media production, education, communication materials, etc. Under Part A, ADB would recruit the consulting services separately for components (a), (c), and (e), while the recruitment of consulting services for components (b) and (d) is delegated to MARD. Recruitment of consultants for component (e) is complete; and proposals for component (a) were submitted to ADB on 7 April 2003 by the shortlisted firms. Recruitment of the other components is expected to be initiated in late 2003.

The consulting services for Part B will consist of 116 months of international expertise and 291 months of domestic expertise in farming systems, agricultural economics, social development, flood protection, institutional development, irrigation, financial management, and human resources development. Advance action for recruitment of consultants was approved by ADB on 5 June 2000. Recruitment of the consultants is underway; technical proposals of shortlisted firms were received by MARD on 24 December 2002.