Belarus - Aqualex ProfilesFramework Law
The main law applicable to water resources management, which covers all of the following areas: administration; management, conservation and use of freshwater resources; water rights; waterworks; water supply
Constitutional provisions
Date of text: 15 March 1994
Right to water: No provisions regarding the right to water.
Natural resources: The State shall supervise the rational utilization of natural resources to protect and improve living conditions, and to preserve and restore the environment (Section II, Article 46). The mineral wealth, waters and forests are the sole and exclusive property of the State. The land for agricultural use is the property of the State. The law may specify facilities that may be the property of the State alone, or specify the special terms for their transition to private ownership, or grant the State an exclusive right to conduct certain types of activity.
Agriculture
Water used for irrigation, forestry and aquaculture
Date of original text: 25 April 2015 (2017)
Date of text: 15 October 2015
Water Supply and Sanitation
Provision of water services by public utilities or commercial organizations; water supply for domestic, industrial or other purposes; right to safe and clean drinking water and basic sanitation; quality of piped water; sewerage
Date of original text: 16 July 2008 (2012)
Governance
The political, social, economic and administrative systems that govern water management and conservation; good practices; good governance; decentralization; water user’s associations
Date of text: 19 February 1999
Infrastructure
Waterworks; water supply systems; dams; hydropower systems; irrigation systems
Date of text: 02 October 2002
Water Resources Management and Water Rights
Ownership and control of water resources; abstraction and diversion of water; allocation and quotas; riparian rights; priority of rights; free water use
Water and Environment
Water in environmentally-sensitive areas; ‘water demand’ by ecosystems; protection forests; water conservation zones; environmental impact assessment
Date of text: 02 October 2002
Water Quality and Pollution Control
Control of pollution and quality of freshwater bodies and groundwater; agricultural point and non-point sources of pollution; water quality standards
Date of text: 09 March 2016
Groundwater
Freshwater resources located below the surface of the earth; aquifers; groundwater abstraction; well-sinking; boreholes; hydrogeology
Disaster Resilience
Water-related hazards; flood; drought; water shortage; adaptation to climate change; early warning system/emergency intervention system
Transboundary Waters
Transboundary effects; international basin institutions; international agreements; transboundary coordination; transboundary aquifers
Policies
Date of text: 06 May 2004