Introduction
- NARBO secretariat (ADBI, ADB and JWA) conducted the 5th Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Training in Hoi An, Quang Nam Province, Viet Nam from 18th to 25th of February. This training was held as a major part of NARBO activities based on the NARBO Action Plan 2008-2009. This training was hosted by the Vu Gia – Thu Bon (VGTB) river basin committee which consists of Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DONRE) of Quang Nam Province and Da Nang City. 24 participants from 6 countries attended. At the same time, JWA conducted the study meeting on Water-Related Disaster Management and 5 participants who attended the study meeting also participated in this training as observers.
- This training’s goal is to develop capacity of NARBO member staff in understanding and implementing IWRM in their respective river basins by (1) lectures of IWRM concepts and case studies; (2) group work of IWRM; and (3) sharing country challenges and strategies.
- This training was different from previous ones which NARBO has conducted over last 5 years. This time we had many opportunities to discuss among the participants and made them think by using the case studies and the lecture materials. And we asked the International Water Center which is one of the NARBO’s knowledge partner to lead this training based on their experience on trainings, and they handled the training competently and provided strong leadership.
This training consisted of class sessions (6 days) and study visits (2day).
- Lecture about “IWRM Guidelines” was made by Japan Water Agency (JWA), Ministry of Land Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and UNESCO. As the draft of the lecture was almost completed at that time, we introduced the concept and how to use these guidelines to the participants. Their impressions and evaluations were summarized, and incorporated into the guidelines which were formally introduced at the 5th World Water Forum (WWF5) held from 16 to 21 March 2009 in Istanbul, Turkey. In fact, NARBO has already decided to use these guidelines for its training and workshop to enhance the implementation of IWRM.
Training Preparation
- According to the NARBO's Action Plan 2008-2009, we established the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) last April and we discussed the ideal form of NARBO's training. The members of TAC are NARBO's knowledge partners such as Korea Water and International Water Center in Australia which is one of the Asia-Pacific Water forum's Knowledge hubs.
Based on the outcome of TAC, we started preparing for this training. Then, we chose the VGTV river basin in Viet Nam for case study materials. The reason to choose the VGTB is that this river basin is one of the ADB's pilot projects in promoting IWRM and it has good examples on IWRM such as hydropower generation and biodiversity.
- NARBO secretariat conducted the preparation meeting at Hoi An, Viet Nam last November and discussed the contents of training and had meeting with host organization. At that meeting we decided the date and the direction of this training formally and started working for it.
- The participants were requested to prepare the reports on "Key for Success" (KfS) in IWRM in their river basins and make the presentations of their reports.
Highlight of the IWRM Training
Opening remarks and Introduction of the Training
- Opening remark was made by Mr. Dinh Van Thu, vice chair person of Quang Nam Peoples Committee.
Then introduction of NARBO activities was made by Mr. Michio Ota of Japan Water Agency and the introduction of this training was made by Mr. Wouter T Lincklien Arriens of ADB. At the introduction, they told participants that they should learn the concept of IWRM through case studies and the knowledge from IWRM Guidelines, trying to find the KfS by looking back on their own examples in order to apply to their activities.
Lectures on Current Status and Ongoing Initiatives (Appendix 4)
- We had lectures except on 20th and 21st. The outline and themes of the lectures are as follows.
- "Introduction on IWRM Guidelines"; Mr. Wouter T Linkrien Arriens of ADB and Mr. Kouichi Takano of JWA.
At first Mr. Arriens introduced the purpose and concept of the guidelines. The guidelines are for the practitioners at river basin management, and consist of 2 parts. At part 1, progress of IWRM is explained by "IWRM Spiral model" which was newly introduced by JWA. This means IWRM improves gradually like a spiral.
Then Mr. Takano explained the part 2 which consists of good examples of IWRM and useful tools. He introduced how to use it at actual work scene and the good examples of Japan and explained the KfS of IWRM. He highlighted the importance of 1) sector's perspective, 2) recognition and identification of the issues, 3) coordination and 4) participation. After the session, some participants said that the "spiral model" was useful to explain IWRM to their colleagues and this was a very clear concept.
- "Road map of IWRM"; Dr. Tue Kell Nielsen, ADB's consultant who is a senior adviser on RETA 6470
He explained what the roadmap should be by using the actual case and how to formulate it. He said that "master plan" could be a part of road map and it included the participation. Especially he insisted that we should involve stakeholders throughout.
- "Overview of VGTB Basin and RBO Activities"; Mr. Pham Phuoc Toan and Dr. Chu Manh Tranh of DoNRE Quang Nam Province
They presented an overview of the VGTB river basin and its activities such as "Intact River" and "Benefit Sharing". "Intact River" is an activity to conserve natural rivers by making the river flows connect without any barriers from sources to the sea.
For these rivers, construction of water-related facility is prohibited to conserve their natural eco systems.
"Benefit Sharing" is to distribute benefit such as sales price which is produced by hydropower generation to the minorities who are living around the catchment area of its dam. By introducing this system, the minorities can maintain their lives and due to this benefit we can conserve the nature system around the dam.
- "Coastal Issues in the VGTB Basin"; Dr. Chu Manh Tranh of DoNRE Quang Nam Province
He introduced what was happening at the coastal area where the BGTV poured into the sea. Due to the sedimentation of the VGTB river basin from mountain area and the garbage from the Hoi An city, the coastal area was polluted. And due to the changes of river flow, infiltrations of salty water and erosion of dyke were occurring at these areas. Therefore, he insisted that the IWRM was necessary not only for the water resources but also for the conservation of coastal area.
- "Biodiversity and the VGTB Basin"; Ms. Tran Thi Phan, World Wide Fund for Nature of Quang Nam office
She introduced the importance of biodiversity and their activities at VGTB river basin. Also she introduced the wetland alliance in Quang Nam Province. They support local government's capacity and community work at VGTB river basin.
- "Flooding in the VGTB Basin"; Mr. Katsuhiro Ando and Mr. Shigeru Karimata of JICA
They introduced the JICA's activities in water-related disaster and the new activities in Viet Nam to reduce its damage by introducing the community based early warning system and hazard mapping etc. They also introduced the activities of water-related disaster management in Japan such as early warning system.
- "Urban Water Supply in the VGTB Basin"; Mr. Trinh Van Ba, DoNRE of Da Nang City
Da Nang city is located at the estuary of the VGTB river and they relied on the river for their water. Especially in drought season, they suffered from water shortage. They needed more drinking water. Based on this background, he introduced that they had prepared their original water development and conservation plan.
- "Enabling environment for the VGTB Basin"; Dr. Mc Tim Grath, ADB consultant
He introduced the conservation activities of nature around the VGTB river basin and its concept. He also introduced the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) activities at the VGTB river basin.
- "Agriculture in the VGTB Basin"; Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan, Department of Rural Development (DARD) of Quang Nam Province
He introduced the status of agriculture in Quang Nam Province. In Viet Nam, agriculture is a major industry, thus, irrigation and saving farmland are very important. Agricultural sector worries about drought, flood and erosion of farmland.
- "Hydropower schemes in the VGTB river basins"; Mr. Hyuen of DoNRE of Quang Nam Province
He explained the hydropower scheme at the VGTB river basin and its importance in these areas and for the country itself as a whole.
- "Overview of the Strategic Environmental Assessment on the VGTB Basin"; Ms. Yumiko Yasuda, WWF Great Mekong
She introduced their activities in the VGTB river basins such as "Intact River" and "Benefit Sharing".
"Intact River" and "Benefit Sharing "are most impressive ideas and we thought the ideas should be introduced to other RBOs.
- "Keys for Success with IWRM"; Lessons from Japan; Professor Tsuneaki Yoshida, University of Tokyo
He introduced the progress of IWRM in Japan by using the case study. He insisted that River Basin Organization such as JWA was a KfS in implementing IWRM, since JWA was established by law, and was given some authorities such as river management by the government, and had fiscal system which was endorsed by law to manage their construction and maintenance.
He also explained the importance of recognition: the recognition of where we are standing in implementing IWRM. He highlighted that before implementing IWRM, it was important for us to confirm in what position we are in the situation of IWRM progress
- "Stakeholder analysis and government, industry, and community roles in IWRM"; Dr. Peter Oliver of International Water Center (IWC)
He insisted of the importance of collaborations and partnerships among all stakeholders about river basin, especially the importance of stories which all stakeholders participate in and how they can lead to improvement.
- "Biophysical Concepts for IWRM"; Dr. James Udy of IWC
He introduced the biophysical aspects on river basin management by showing the source of pollutions and issues about river basin, and highlighted the necessity of consideration for biophysical aspects.
- "Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement in IWRM"; Dr. Udy and Dr. Oliver of IWC
They explained the necessity of monitoring and evaluation of the current situation on implementation of IWRM.
Poster session
- We had poster session on 19th evening. We requested that all participants prepare the poster to introduce their IWRM activities. We posted it on the wall of the conference room, and each participant introduced their activities about the KfS at their river basin to participants and had Q & A. It was more fruitful and effective than a PowerPoint presentation in a sense that the participants could talk very closely.
Study Visit
- We had field visits on 20th and 21st of February.
On 20th, we visited the Song Thanh Reserve office of DARD Quang Nam Province and we listened to an explanation of the reserve activities such as nature conservation. We learned about conservation and capacity building activities which were conducted under community base. Before we arrived at the office, we saw the river which was muddy polluted due to the gold mining and the sand mining. According to the explanation, there are some gold mining points that were approved by the government in the reserve area. There are also many illegal gold mining and sand mining activities at the upper catchment area. This became good teaching material in learning the necessity of IWRM, since we could know the actual obstacles and the activities to address these problems in implementing IWRM.
Then we visited the construction site of hydro power dam and see the situation of land use. Upper site of these areas, due to the construction of road and the expansion of the farmland, there were many landslides and deforestations.
After that we were scheduled to visit the Avuong Hydropower plant and its reservoir, but due to the landslide we couldn't reach there. Nevertheless, we were able to know the issues such as sand mining and deforestation at the upper site of the VGTB river basin and the measures to be taken for tackling those problems.
- On 21st, we visited the Cham Island which is 30 kilometers east of Hoi An. We learned the activities to conserve the nature for sustainable life. This island is affected by the VBTG river basin, and due to the poorer water quality, natural resources such as fish are decreasing. People who live in this island are conserving the nature for sustainable life by limiting construction. Nature is saved in some parts of the island. Some other areas are designated as tourism spots. In this way, they try to keep a balance between the industry and conservation of nature and have created the sustainable life.
Then we visited the estuary area of the VGTB river basin and see the situation of land use. Here palm forest has been converted into shrimp ponds which deteriorate water quality. And due to the urbanization, new issues such as discharge and garbage emerged and water quality is getting worse. Therefore, new activities which reconstruct healthy nature were launched by the local government and WWF.
Through the study visit, we learned "what is happening" and "how they are coping with it" and found the KfS which solve the issues such as the necessity of coordination mechanism. At the workshop I on 23rd of February, we reconfirmed them by group working.
Presentation of participants
- Presentations by selected participants on Keys for Success with IWRM
We assigned some participants to introduce their activities and kfS at their river basins. 4 representatives (one each from Indonesia and Sri Lanka, and two from the Philippines) made the presentations ,and a question and answer session was held actively.
- Presentations by volunteer participants, Keys for Success with IWRM
A presentation about Orissa of India was given, the activities of IWRM were introduced, and there was a question and answer period on these issues after the presentations.
Workshops
- On the evening of 23 February, we had workshop session to find out the issues which were happening at VGTB river basin. Participants were divided into 5 groups. Each group discussed the issues, their impacts and identified some measures. At the end of this session, the representatives of each group presented their summary to all participants. I also participated in one group and introduced the viewpoint and gave some suggestions of solution.
Again on 24 February, we had workshop session to find out the KfS in the VGTB river basin.
On the last day, we continued the session to find out the KfS in the VGTB river basin continuously and they summarized in the PowerPoint form. After that the session, the representative of each group presented its analysis and recommendations about the KfS in the VGTB river basin. There were some excellent presentations which perfectly reflected the whole ideas of this training course. In this point, we can say we could get excellent results of the training.
- Group 1; Their recommendations for the VGTB river basin are ;1) Institutional and legal framework, ;2) Formulation of Master Plan/Road Map, ;3) Adoption of appropriate/proper technology, ;4) Sustainable Funding Mechanism, ;5)Benefit Sharing and ;6) Monitoring and Evaluation.
- Group 2; Their recommendations for the VGTB river basin are ;1) Development of the new model for VGTB river basin organization, its planning and coordination mechanisms among sectors, provinces and communities, ;2) Encouragement of community participation in water resources management at all revels, ;3) Communication and improvement of community awareness on water resources management, ;4) Capacity building at local revel, ;5) Protection of aquatic ecosystem, ;6) Flood control, ;7) Natural resources conservation for important areas, ;8) Application of advanced technologies, ;9) International consultants, ;10) Financial mobilization, ;11) Getting support from Donors, ;12) Development of monitoring system, ;13) Benchmarking tools and indicators and 13) Evaluation and lesson learnt.
- Group 3; Their recommendations for the VGTB river basin are ;1) Steering Committee at Provincial level chaired by the Head of the province to oversee the activities of RBO, ;2) duties and responsibilities for RBO with linkages at all levels, ;3) Funding arrangement for RBO and activities, ;4) Empowering the RBO to have regulations for protecting Natural resources and take prohibitive and penal actions, ;5) Basin & Coastal zone management plans, ;6) Pollution control strategy for Natural Resources to be prepared, ;7) Capacity building at all levels and ;8) Comprehensive date base.
- Group 4; Their recommendations for the VGTB river basin are ;1) A strong and effective RBO acting as river basin manager, ;2) Integrated approaches, ;3) Operating rules for multi-reservoirs, ;4) Disaster mitigation measures, ;5) Promoting sustainable tourism development and ;6) Synergy domestic and international efforts
- Group 5; Their recommendations for the VGTB river basin are ; 1)Upstream reforestation, ;2) Multiple reservoir operation mechanism, ;3) Mining activity regulation, ;4) Tree new species introduction, ;5) Advanced technology application, ;6) Education and communication campaign, ;8) Budget, ;9)Institutional Building, ;10) Local capacity building, ;11) Cooperation, ;12) River basin strategic environmental assessment, ;12) Strategic framework, ;12) VGTB river basin management plan, ;13) Water quality, flora and fauna conservation, ;14) Local people, ;15) Benefit sharing and ;16) Evaluation.
Evaluation of Training and Trainee
- At the end of the training, we asked all participants to fill in the evaluation sheet (the questionnaire) of the training. According to the answers collected, the reputation of the whole training was almost excellent. However, there remained some points still to be improved such as handouts, logistics etc.
- Organizers of training evaluated each participant by using the evaluation sheet and 10 participants were awarded the superior at the farewell dinner. We evaluated them based on the following points.
 Understanding and explanation
Analysis
Critical Evaluation
Application
Use of tools
Feedback
Poster Session and assigned presentation
Others
Lessons learned and Conclusions
- Through this training, the participants confirmed the concept of IWRM and learned the technique to implement IWRM at each dimension. Especially, we think it was fruitful for them to know the importance of participation of stakeholders. By obtaining above knowledge, we think they can think by themselves what is needed for their river basins and recognize it by themselves.
And they exchanged the information by participants' presentation and noticed that they had similar issues such as water allocation and lack of coordination mechanism on promoting IWRM. We think it was good for them to be able to cope with promotion of IWRM by having unity among the participants.
Next Steps
- TAC and the 6th IWRM Training
At first, the result of this training will be reported to TAC members. Then TAC meeting will be held in June 2009, and the consultation will be arranged about the direction of IWRM training and 6th IWRM Training. Based on the consequences obtained through these processes, the preparation for the 6th IWRM Training will start. The 6th IWRM Training is provisionally scheduled for November 2009. Based on the participants' evaluation, we'd like to improve the quality of NARBO's activities.
- IWRM Guidelines
This time, we had a lecture on IWRM Guidelines, and we thought that participants could understand the concept of IWRM especially the "Spiral Model". At the group work, some group explained KfS by using this model. We summarized their results and reported at the launch event of IWRM Guidelines in the WWF5.
After that, we'd like to extract KfS of other sectors from good examples and disseminate the KfS among the practitioners of river basin organizations and government staff who are in charge of water resources management. With no doubt, we'd like to use it on NARBO's trainings and workshops as a core material.
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