Description

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) newly issued Circular 17/2021/TT-BTNMT on supervision of extraction and use of water resources on 14/10/2021. This Circular will be enforced next month, i.e., on 30/11/2021, and replace the Circular 47/2017/TT-BTNMT.

The Circular regulates production, business, and service establishments that extract and use water resources (except sea water) including the following waterworks:
– Surface water reservoirs for electricity generation with a capacity of over 50 kW including reservoirs serving irrigation and electricity production
– Surface water reservoirs with a capacity of over 0.1 m³ per second supplying water for agricultural production and aquaculture, and over 100 m³ per day supplying water for other purposes
– Drains, pumping stations, and other surface water extraction works  (specified in this Circular) with a capacity of over 0.1 m³ per second supplying water for agricultural production and aquaculture, and over 100 m³ per day supplying water for other purposes
– Groundwater extraction works with a capacity of 10 m³ per  day

 Principle of supervision concerning information and data:
– Accuracy, truthfulness, objectiveness, and convenience for use
– Systematic organization, inclusiveness, and update to ensure the connection and sharing of information
 – Uniformity regarding, e.g., space, time, central and local levels, river basins

This Circular requires that the centrally-run provinces and cities, which haven’t established and/or completed water resources monitoring systems according to requirements stipulated in this Circular, have to accomplish them by 30/09/2023 or at the latest of five days depending on the licensing time before or in the period of the enforcement of this Circular. The Water Resources Administration under MONRE and provincial Departments of Natural Resources and Environment have to update information on water resources permit into the database system by 30/06/2022. Water extraction and use establishments have to complete the installation of equipment, connection and update data into the monitoring system by 31/12/2023 for the waterworks licensed by provincial people`s committees and by 31/12/2022 for the waterworks licensed by MONRE.

Sources & further information: “Giám sát chặt chẽ khai thác và sử dụng tài nguyên nước” at https://baotainguyenmoitruong.vn and Circular 17/2021/TT-BTNMT at https://thuvienphapluat.vn, accessed on 18 October 2021.