The Committee on Agrarian Policy, Water Resources, Ecology and Regional Development of the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan adopted the draft Water Code in the third reading.
The draft of the new Water Code proposes to exclude the right of private and municipal ownership of water management facilities located in rural municipalities, with a gradual transition of these facilities to state ownership.
The background statement to the draft law notes that this initiative is aimed at ensuring a stable supply of irrigation water from state water management facilities, as well as improving the collection of payments for water use in order to make it more timely and complete.
In addition, the new draft Water Code will propose two new concepts:
- «Water body» is all natural water bodies, such as glaciers, rivers, lakes, swamps and other water bodies of natural origin. A protective regime will be established for these objects with restrictions on certain types of activities, which will help protect water resources.
- «Water management structure» is an artificially created water body, such as canals, dams, reservoirs and other structures intended for water management. The land adjacent to these structures will be used to provide agricultural production with irrigation water.
The draft also provides for restrictions on the use of land adjacent to water management structures to ensure their safe operation:
- It is prohibited to construct buildings or plant trees and shrubs on the land along canals and above the collector and drainage network (CDN). This is necessary not to obstruct the passage of equipment intended for the repair of hydraulic structures or to avoid damage to the CDN.
- It will also be prohibited to build hydroelectric power stations on the territory next to dams and reservoirs that may threaten the safety of these dams.
The proposed changes to the Water Code are aimed at improving water management, increasing the safety of water management facilities and the efficient use of water resources for agriculture. The transfer of water management facilities to state ownership and the creation of clear rules for their use should help ensure the stability of water supply and increase the level of responsibility of water users.
