Gambia - Country Water 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: 20 April 1996
Right to water: Article 216 recognizes the right to water as a social objective and sets forth thatthe State shall endeavour to facilitate equal access to clean and safe water.
Natural resources: The rule of Section 22 regarding expropriation shall not apply to the taking or acquisition of property for work of soil conservation or the conservation of other resources or for agricultural development or improvement which the owner occupier of the land has been required and has without reasonable or lawful excuse refused or failed, to carry out.
Agriculture
Water used for irrigation, forestry and aquaculture
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
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 original text: 06 June 1981 (1978)
Infrastructure
Waterworks; water supply systems; dams; hydropower systems; irrigation systems
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
Date of original text: 06 June 1981 (1978)
Water and Environment
Water in environmentally-sensitive areas; ‘water demand’ by ecosystems; protection forests; water conservation zones; environmental impact assessment
Date of original text: 06 June 1981 (1978)
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: 11 July 2003
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
Date of original text: 06 June 1981 (1978)
Date of original text: 06 June 1981 (1978)
Date of text: 11 July 2003