On the afternoon of 25/2, continuing the 5th session, the National Assembly held a plenary session at the Hall to listen to the Presentation and Verification Report on the draft Law on Water Resources (amended).

Presenting the report, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Dang Quoc Khanh said that the draft Law on Water Resources (amended) consists of 83 articles and 10 chapters. Compared to the 2012 Law on Water Resources, the draft Law does not increase the number of chapters (in which 9 articles are kept the same; 59 articles are amended and supplemented; 15 new articles are added) and 13 articles are abolished.

Draft Law amends and supplements the prohibition of filling rivers, streams, canals, and ditches; discharging wastewater into underground water sources; illegally exploiting sand, gravel, and other minerals on rivers, streams, canals, ditches, and reservoirs; and building reservoirs, dams, and water exploitation works contrary to water resources planning and provincial planning.

Amending and supplementing the content on consulting the community and related organizations and individuals in exploiting and using water resources...

The draft also amends and supplements the prevention and control of degradation, depletion and pollution of water resources by adding regulations that inefficient water exploitation works causing degradation, depletion and pollution of water resources must be renovated, upgraded or demolished; wastewater generated from production, business and service activities must be treated, controlled and measures must be taken to prevent, respond to and remedy water pollution incidents according to the law on environmental protection; and residents must not be located along river sections that are eroded or at risk of erosion.

According to Minister Dang Quoc Khanh, the draft Law also amends and supplements the prevention and control of drought, water shortage, flood, inundation, and artificial inundation in the direction of regulating activities to prevent and control drought, water shortage, flood, inundation, and artificial inundation; stipulating the responsibilities of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and ministries, branches, People's Committees at all levels, organizations, and individuals in organizing the implementation of prevention and control of drought, water shortage, flood, inundation, and artificial inundation...

In the review report , Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Le Quang Huy said that the Committee agreed with the necessity of promulgating the Law on Water Resources (amended) for the reasons stated in the Government's Submission No. 162. There were opinions requesting clarification of the reason for not adjusting mineral water and natural hot water.

Regarding the name and scope of the Law, Chairman Le Quang Huy stated that the National Assembly's Committee on Science, Technology and Environment basically agrees with the scope of regulation and name as in the draft Law. In addition, there are opinions suggesting changing the name of the Law to "Law on Water Resources Management", "Law on Water Resources Management and Use" to be consistent with the objectives of water management, provisions of current laws on water exploitation and use, and the views stated in the Government's Submission.

The Committee basically agrees with the contents on principles of management, protection, exploitation, use of water resources, prevention, control and overcoming of consequences caused by water as in the draft Law.

However, it is recommended to more clearly demonstrate the management principles for each specific activity (from resource management; management of water resource exploitation and use; water resource protection activities; activities to limit damage caused by water...) and optimize water exploitation and use.

The Committee on Science, Technology and Environment agrees with the need to stipulate basic investigation and water resources planning strategy in the draft Law.

However, it is recommended that the drafting agency clarify the mechanism and conditions for using the state budget for organizations and individuals to implement basic water resources investigation projects, update information and investigation results into the water resources information system; and the responsibilities of relevant ministries and branches in updating and sharing information on basic water resources investigations.

Regarding the responsibility for state management of water resources, the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment basically agrees with the provisions on the responsibility for state management of water resources of the Government, Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, and People's Committees at all levels in Articles 76 and 77 of the draft Law.

However, it is necessary to clearly define the responsibility for water resource management and the management of water exploitation and use works of ministries and branches; supplement regulations on the coordination mechanism between the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and other ministries related to water exploitation and use so that management is unified and synchronized, avoiding overlap, causing waste of resources and omission of management areas.

Regarding the state management responsibilities of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Ministry of Construction (Clause 3, Clause 4, Clause 5, Article 76), it is necessary to be more specific, adding the responsibilities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Ministry of National Defense related to water resources, cross-border water security, water resource protection, and ensuring the safety of dams and reservoirs .