Law No. 12 of 1984 promulgating the Law of Irrigation and Drainage.

This Law, consisting of 8 main Parts and 104 articles, regulates the National policy on Irrigation and Drainage and provides for the usage of water, water management, and distribution. Among the powers of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI) there are (i) set forth conditions and limitations on usage for farmlands from public water resources; (ii) allow irrigation inspectors to set a specific schedule for distributing water to irrigate farmlands; (iii) prohibit to dig any well for groundwater, whether it is superficial or deep, inside the public lands, without getting the permit, or exceeding the water rates and quantities licensed to be pumped; (iv) issue an order to destroy a certain stream if such stream will damage neighboring farmlands and surrounding bridges; (v) take urgent protection measures in case of declared state of emergency upon the unnatural rising of water levels; (vi) fix prices of lands irrigation and drainage.
Part I is concerned with public properties related to irrigation and drainage, and all authorization issues related to that, and the Law grants the MWRI the right to identify specific streams as public water sources and, at article 9, prohibits any modifications to main water resources and public streams without the Ministry permission. Part II is about canals and private water banks, and the access to those water banks depending on the size of land and its geographical location and authorizes the Ministry to abolish any previously issued licenses for the private usage of water streams (art.14). Part III is about Field banks which is a network of banks covering the fields set up by the Ministry of Irrigation to connect all lands within the same scope. This third part is divided into 5 chapters about the division of water, the sockets and estuaries banks, groundwater and wastewater, water lifting machines, and lastly the irrigation of new lands . Part V provides for wages of irrigation and drainage works. Part VI is concerned with the protection of irrigation, navigation and beaches. Part VII is about sanctions, and finally Part VIII is about sets forth general and final provisions.