Ho Chi Minh City restricts groundwater extraction in 80 zones

The Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee approved a decision establishing 80 designated groundwater extraction restriction zones. Seventy‑six of these zones lie within the former Ho Chi Minh City area, one is in the former Bình Dương province, and nineteen are in the former Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu province.

Two restriction levels were defined. Restriction 1 covers areas at risk of salt‑water intrusion, including Phú Mỹ and Tân Phước wards as well as several communes such as Phước Hải, Hồ Tràm, Long Điền, Long Hải and Bình Châu. Restriction 2 applies to zones where groundwater levels exceed allowable limits, covering Tân Thành ward and the communes of Hòa Hiệp, Hòa Hội, and Hồ Tràm. Within these zones, authorities will not issue new extraction permits, and existing wells must be sealed, adjusted, or terminated in accordance with a schedule that safeguards drinking‑water supplies and flood‑prevention needs. Extraction depth limits were also set: no more than 40 m for fissured aquifers and 50 m for basaltic or fractured rock layers. The decision tasks municipal and provincial departments with implementing and monitoring the restrictions.