Protect water resources and aquatic life to serve people's lives

Overview of the meeting

According to the Government 's Report, after more than 10 years of implementation, the 2012 Law on Water Resources has contributed to creating positive changes in the awareness and actions of the whole society in protecting, exploiting and using water resources; water resources are managed and used more effectively and sustainably, bringing revenue to the State budget.

The objective of the draft Law on Water Resources (amended) is to complete a synchronous and unified legal corridor, ensuring transparency to be able to exploit resources to the maximum, allocate them reasonably and use them effectively; ensure national water security; focus on preventing, controlling and restoring degraded, depleted and polluted water sources; clearly define the responsibilities for water resource management and the responsibilities for managing water exploitation works at both central and local levels to overcome overlaps and legal conflicts.

In addition, the Law will aim to manage water resources on a digital technology platform, unify databases, build a set of tools to support real-time decision-making, reduce management and operation personnel, and state investment costs; reduce business conditions for organizations and individuals. At the same time, it will gradually shift from management by administrative tools to management by economic tools through policies on: water prices, taxes, fees, charges, fees for granting water resource exploitation rights; promote socialization...

Delegates at the meeting

Through discussions in the Group, the National Assembly deputies basically agreed with the necessity of the draft law, assessed that the draft Law on Water Resources (amended) had been carefully prepared, widely consulted with affected subjects and relevant management agencies; referred to international laws and experiences in water resources management; seriously accepted many comments and suggestions. The deputies said that the provisions in the draft Law basically ensure constitutionality, legality, consistency with the legal system and international treaties to which Vietnam is a member and ensure feasibility.

According to National Assembly delegate Van Thi Bach Tuyet, the drafting of the Law on Water Resources (amended) is necessary to contribute to ensuring regulations that are consistent with reality, helping to protect water resources and aquatic resources to serve people's lives; specifying prohibited acts as well as sanctions for handling violations to serve as a basis for strictly handling violations and protecting water resources...

Going into specific content, delegate Van Thi Bach Tuyet expressed concern about the use of the phrase “quantity and quality of water” in the draft Law. According to the delegate, although the current Law also stipulates the use of the phrase “quantity and quality of water”, the delegate believes that water cannot be counted in quantity, so it should be replaced with the phrase “volume and quality” which would be more appropriate.

National Assembly Delegate Van Thi Bach Tuyet

The delegate emphasized that the phrase “water source” is also used a lot in the draft of the new Law and in the current Law. However, this phrase is not explained in the word explanation section. The delegate said that specialized phrases like this need to be clearly explained so that people can understand and implement them well.

In addition, delegates also expressed their high agreement with the addition of information systems and national water resources databases with the contents specified in the draft. Because having this information system and database will help our state management work better, authorities at all levels will have solutions to protect water resources as well as exploit and use water resources more reasonably.

Regarding prohibited acts, the draft Law stipulates that the acts of using fertilizers, pesticides, veterinary drugs and chemicals that pollute the environment and water sources when used. Regarding this content, many opinions are concerned about whether the draft Law will punish individuals or organizations that produce fertilizers, pesticides, veterinary drugs, etc. when used, also pollute water sources, and whether they are included in the provisions of prohibited acts. Delegates said that it is appropriate that the policy related to water resource protection also stipulates that organizations and individuals participating in the production of pesticides, veterinary drugs, and fertilizers used in agriculture or as food for animals or aquatic products must ensure that when discharged into the environment, the products will be least toxic or not harmful to water sources.

National Assembly Delegate Truong Trong Nghia

Commenting on the draft Law, National Assembly delegate Truong Trong Nghia said that the scope of regulation of the draft Law needs to be supplemented with one point, which is: all acts, activities of using, exploiting, and impacting water resources under the legitimate rights and interests of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam that are not regulated by other Laws will be regulated by this Law. In addition, delegate Truong Trong Nghia also suggested that there should be a clear definition of what water resources are according to this Law, not according to science or medicine...

According to delegate Truong Trong Nghia, one of the pollution points that has a major impact on water resources is "radioactive contamination". However, the draft Law has not mentioned this phrase, but only regulations on waste, garbage... Taking the example of the earthquake, tsunami and radioactive leak at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in 2011, which left catastrophic consequences that took Japan many years to overcome, the delegate said that this is an issue that we need to pay attention to and need to specifically regulate in the draft Law.

To continue perfecting the draft Law, delegates also suggested that in addition to regulating the acts of managing, exploiting and using water resources, it is necessary to fully regulate the acts that impact water resources; specifically regulate which mechanisms and tools to control upstream water sources; regulate sanctions for acts of exploiting groundwater without a license because this is an important source of water in water resources for use and serving people's daily life; at the same time, review legislative techniques to ensure consistency...

Some photos at the meeting:

National Assembly deputies basically agreed with the necessity of the Law project.

Delegates assessed that the draft Law on Water Resources (amended) had been carefully prepared, with wide consultation from affected subjects and relevant management agencies.

Delegates said that the provisions in the draft Basic Law ensure constitutionality, legality, consistency with the legal system and international treaties to which Vietnam is a member, and ensure feasibility.

However, delegates said that in policies related to water resource protection, it is necessary to stipulate that organizations and individuals involved in the production of pesticides, veterinary drugs, and fertilizers used in agriculture... need to ensure that when these products are released into the environment, they will be the least toxic or will not harm water resources.

To continue perfecting the draft Law, delegates also suggested that in addition to regulating acts of managing, exploiting and using water resources, it is necessary to fully regulate acts that impact water resources.

In addition, it specifies the mechanisms and tools to control upstream water sources; and stipulates sanctions for acts of exploiting groundwater without a license.

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