**8. Acknowledgments**

56 Novel Approaches and Their Applications in Risk Assessment

The results of the developed methods for the analysis of the water resources on the river

GIS Manuals: step-by-step guides on how to use GIS functionalities to estimate water

IWRM-Atlas: Planning maps and tables for the IWRM in Vietnam (print version and

The application of Planning and Decision Support Tools will enable Vietnamese stakeholders to base decisions regarding measures to improve the situation of Water Management Units on a scientific basis. The identification process enables decision makers to effectively attend to the issues with high priority ratings first. The close cooperation between the project and the Vietnamese authorities ensures a holistic implementation of the tools and a close interaction between the method and the legislative framework in Vietnam. The early participation of the responsible water agency on national level guarantees a sustainable adjustment and a nation-wide transferability of the method to Vietnamese conditions. The overall concept developed by the R&D project IWRM-Vietnam is an important step towards the implementation of IWRM principles in Vietnam. Thus, the application of the Planning and Decision Support Tools allows for the improvement of water resources management along the principles of IWRM which will be essential for

The developed method (Planning and Decision Support Tools) allows for a layered, problem orientated and efficient examination of entire river basins, initially using a systematic overview examination (scale approx. 1 : 300.000) in order to establish Water Management Units (WMUs) with higher problem intensity and prioritized need for IWRM measures ("hot spots"). The next step should be the development of methods to examine these previously prioritized WMUs in more depth (scale approx. 1 : 50.000), in order to ascertain

This results in a systematic approach, rendering possible a labor efficient, targeted and cost efficient process especially for countries, such as Vietnam, which are only just starting to set

The next step will be to develop methods for the closer examination of WMUs with higher need for IWRM measures on WMU planning level (planning level 4, cf. fig. 2) and to recommend practical local measures on the local planning level (planning level 5, cf. fig. 2). The inclusion of the population and the various participating stakeholders (authorities and institutions) in the planning and decision making process is a vital principle in this context. Overall this is a holistic approach for planning and decision support for IWRM. This corresponds to the demands on Integrated Water Resources Management as formulated, for

 Handbook of methods: Planning and Decision Support Tools for IWRM in Vietnam Definition tables: methods for the estimation of water quantities and contamination

basin scale were documented in several reports:

quantities and contamination risks

further development in Vietnam on a sustainable basis

the types, extensions and locations for necessary IWRM measures.

example, by the Asian Development Bank (ADB, 2006).

web-viewer version)

risks

**7. Outlook** 

up an IWRM.

The German-Vietnamese joint R&D project IWRM-Vietnam would like to thank the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research for the funding of an important input to the Vietnamese IWRM process. IWRM-Vietnam also thanks the project managing agency Karlsruhe (PTKA-WTE) at the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT) for their support. Finally, eE+E would like to thank all partners of the R&D project for their input and cooperation.
