LEX-FAOC045141

This Regulation is made under and implements provisions of the Ethiopian Water Resources Management Proclamation with respect to water resources management. It concerns water abstraction utilization, authorization of and control on the construction of waterworks and certification of competence, control on activities that cause water pollution, the formation of water users cooperative societies, fees and water charges, arbitration procedures and powers of inspection and enforcement. An application to be submitted to the Supervising Body (Ministry of Water Resources or any organ delegated by the Ministry pursuant to Article 8(c) of the Proclamation) for a water use permit, pursuant to Article 13 of the Proclamation, shall contain prescribed particulars and shall be subject to prescribed procedures. A water use permit may be terminated or suspended by the Supervising Body in whole or in part as per article 17 of the Proclamation. The Regulation prescribes the manner of dealing with an application for the construction, maintenance or alteration of waterworks by the Supervising Body. The Regulation also concerns applications for the direct or indirect discharge of any treated trade effluent or sewerage effluent, or any poisonous, noxious or polluting matter into surface or groundwater, which shall be made, pursuant to the provisions of Article 13(2) of the Proclamation, to the Supervising Body. The Regulation also sets out obligations of any person using water for industrial or for any other purposes which may cause pollution. As for protection of groundwater and quality control, the Regulation: requires the sites and the conditions where water supply wells are to be drilled to be established by a directive of the Minister; require groundwater to be tested before use; require walls to be sealed to prevent the seepage of surface runoff and sewage into wells; require the driller to submit report to the Supervising Body regarding complete or incomplete water supply wells drilling performance. The holders of water use permit pursuant to Article 27 (2) of the Proclamation or persons exempted from the requirement of permit may establish a water users cooperative society in accordance with the Cooperative Societies Proclamation. A society established to undertake medium or large sale irrigation shall be registered by the Supervising Body, whereas a society that shall undertake small scale irrigation shall be registered by an organ established at Regional or City Administration level to organize and register Cooperative Societies. Such organ shall have the obligation to transmit information to the Supervising Body about Water users Co-operative Societies.