Law No. HO-232-N validating the National Water Program.

This Law regulates regarding implementation of the National Water Program, covering the assessments of the national water reserve, strategic water reserve, usable water resources, supply and demand for water, the main issues of water sector conservation and development and prospects, measures for the implementation of the National Water Program based on the prerequisites of water being limited, being one of the main means for preserving human life and health, fauna and flora, and ensuring its availability. The purpose of the law is to meet the needs of the population and the economy through the effective management of usable water resources, to ensure the ecological stability of the environment, to create and use strategic water resources and to protect the national water resources. The distribution of water within the amount of the national water balance, abstracted from 14 large river basins, river basin management areas, as well as other usable water resources, strategic reserve, national water reserve (total water distribution), shall be included in water basin management plans defined by the Government. The amounts of usable water resources defined in the water basin management plans approved by the Government, according to individual river basins, are subject to registration in the state water register. The total quantities of water use volumes granted by the water use permit, cannot exceed the volumes of usable water resources defined by the water basin management plans. The strategic water resource is water of such quality and quantity, which is necessary in the conditions of emergency situations (drought, ecological disasters, energy crisis, etc.) to meet the basic needs of the population and ensure the preservation of water ecosystems. The strategic water reserve is used by the decision of the Government. The national water reserve is formed as the difference between the water resources of the Republic of Armenia and the usable water resources and strategic water resources. The use of the national water reserve is prohibited, except in the case of depletion of the strategic water reserve, and exclusively by the decision of the Government of the Republic of Armenia. Water systems of state importance defined by the National Water Program are state property and are not subject to privatization. Water systems are classified on the basis of: (a) strategic importance; (b) socio-economic importance; (c) environmental significance; and (d) the degree of assessment of the risk of failure and the impact of a possible accident. The monitoring programs of the national surface and underground water resources are implemented at the national and water basin levels.