Water supply, quality and sustainability issues play into what many believe is an unprecedented global water crisis. Heidelberg’s National Center for Water Quality Research (NCWQR), which has been monitoring water quality for nearly 50 years, extended its international exposure in Vietnam to help address water issues there.
VP for Administration and Business Affairs Hoa Nguyen, NCWQR Director Dr. Laura Johnson and Senior Research Scientist Dr. Remegio Confesor traveled to Hanoi in early March on a mission to establish a partnership with Vietnam’s National Center for Water Resources Planning and Investigation (NAWAPI) on water issues. NAWAPI’s deputy director, Dr. Bui Du Duong, whom Rem met in a project meeting last fall in Sweden, desired this partnership and invited the NCWQR to visit Vietnam. The purpose of the trip was two-fold.
First, Hoa, Laura and Rem participated in the Vietnam International Water Week conference and exhibition coordinated by VACI – the Vietnam Water Cooperation Initiative (VACI). The goal of the conference was to share ideas and potential solutions to worldwide water quality issues.
Rem delivered a presentation titled “Identifying Water Quality-Related Problems, Understanding Their Causes and Finding Solutions: The Necessity of Monitoring and Modeling,” in the U.S.-Vietnam special session on “Water Monitoring and Modeling.” He also moderated the session on “Water Quality and Human Health.” The NCWQR had a display at the exhibition promoting its current research projects and collaborations.
Representatives from the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam were also at VACI, and co-moderated the U.S.-Vietnam special session. Hoa, Laura, Rem were then able to set up a meeting with Jason McInerney, the unit chief for Environment, Science, Technology and Health, and his colleague, Dale Fenn, at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi. They expressed similar interests and concerns about water sustainability in Vietnam and provided support for the NCWQR’s future plans.
Second, one of the major outcomes of the trip was the formal signing of a research collaboration agreement between the NCWQR and NAWAPI, the governmental water authority in Hanoi.
“Vietnam has serious problems with waste-water and non-point source pollution,” said Rem. “We are pleased to partner with NAWAPI and share our expertise on water quality monitoring and modeling that in turn will help the sustainable use of their water resources and protect human health.”
The agreement between the NCWQR and NAWAPI paves the way for a faculty, staff and student exchange; collaboration on education and research training; and joint research and professional consulting opportunities.
“In addition to making key connections, we learned about what their training needs are,” said Laura, adding that the partners worked to develop a strategy for moving forward together. “It was successful in terms of networking and the potential for future collaborations and partnerships.”
The agreement also paves the way for both organizations to apply for grant funding for various projects.
The next big step, Rem said, is to establish a structure for a project in Vietnam: the calibration of a tool to help promote better agricultural practices that increase water use efficiency and reduce pollutant exports. He needs to verify this tool with field measurements and data collection under conditions in Vietnam.
“Water supply is a big problem in many places. Vietnam is trying to be proactive in understanding its water quantity and to ensure water availability into the future,” Laura said.
The conference and signing ceremony are the first important steps in this collaboration. There is great potential to strengthen the new relationship between NAWAPI and the NCWQR. To that end, Rem and a colleague from Tarleton State University in Texas are planning to organize a scientific conference and workshop next year in conjunction with VACI 2019. The goal is to develop a project proposal to improve water use efficiency and quality in rice paddies. He also plans to meet with water authorities while in the Philippines this summer to assess the potential for collaborations. Finally, a representative from Ho Chi Minh University is tentatively planning to visit Heidelberg and the NCWQR in July as part of a U.S. State Department-funded tour of the United States.