In 2012, Law on Water Resources was promulgated. To continue to expand the limited area of underground water exploitation in the province, provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment advised Provincial People's Committee to issue Decision No. 3258 / QD-UBND dated 10 Dec 2015 on promulgating the list of restricted and registered areas for underground water exploitation in Binh Duong province.
To enforce this regulation, the province achieved important results such as: previously depleted areas of water resource of the lower Pliocene layer in Song Than area (Di An town), An Phu (Thuan An town), the average decrease of water level is nearly 0.75m/year, water level in Song Than area -48m, An Phu around -32m (Jan 2011). Besides, thanks to the enforcement of regulations on banned and restricted areas to underground water exploitation, the level of water reduction fell significantly (about 0.1m/year), the static water level up to Jan 2019 in Song Than area was 42m, An Phu was 30m. In addition, the quality of underground water was also significantly improved: previously, most aquifers in Vinh Phu area were contaminated with salt, chloride content reached 436mg/liter, now chloride content falls by 97.40mg/liter.
In 2018, the Government issued Decree No. 167/2018/ND-CP dated 26 Dec 2018 specifying the restriction of underground water exploitation. Accordingly, the implementation for restricted areas was different from the solution according to Decision No. 3258/QD-UBND dated 10 Dec 2015 of Provincial People's Committee. Therefore, Provincial People's Committee instructed Department of Natural Resources and Environment to advise and re-localize banned and restricted areas in accordance with the decree. Currently, Department of Natural Resources and Environment and related units are completing procedures to submit to Provincial People's Committee for approval. The decision will be promulgated at the end of 2020.
According to Department of Natural Resources and Environment – Translated by Ngoc Huynh