New Regulations for Free Water Use and Existing Issues in the Water Sector

The National Assembly is discussing a legislative package on amendments to the Water Code of the Republic of Armenia and changes to the law on the National Water Program of the Republic of Armenia, with the aim of adopting these proposals in the first reading.

According to Deputy Minister of Environment Ara Mkrtchyan, the legislative package includes important regulations to solve existing issues in the water sector related to free water use, extending the validity period of water use permits, granting or rejecting water use permits based on the results of environmental impact assessments, establishing mechanisms for water distribution for efficient management of underground water resources in arid basins, and recalculating the overload of water resources in line with international practices among other issues.

The Deputy Minister stated that the Ministry of Environment has undertaken various works to identify issues during flood risk management, prevention, emergency rescue, and recovery operations and to find appropriate solutions to these problems. He noted, "We have recorded that the requirement for a water use permit to conduct certain works is an obstacle to carrying out urgent rescue and recovery measures during such disasters," adding that this issue became apparent during the floods of the Akhuryan and Debed rivers in 2024.

To eliminate the above-mentioned obstacle, the draft stipulates that the implementation of anti-flood measures will also be considered as free water use, and a separate water use permit will not be required for this. Another regulation included in the draft aims to extend the validity of hydroelectric power plant licenses. Additionally, another amendment pertains to the consideration of applications for water use permits from rivers that are spawning grounds for red-listed and endemic fish species. The volume of renewable groundwater resources in the Ararat Plain and its distribution according to needs has been clarified.