Council of Ministers’ Decision No. 4 of 2018 relating to Water Users Association Regulation.

This Regulation, consisting of 43 articles divided in VIII Chapters, aims to manage the use of irrigation water in a sustainable way on the local level, and to achieve the maximum benefit from the available water resources. Chapter I sets out definitions and general provisions. Chapter II deals with (1) association's licensing procedures (applications - that shall be submitted to the Ministry according to the form approved by both the Ministry and the Authority - related documents, reviews, and rejections) and (2) association's functions. Main functions are (i) setting plans and programs necessary to develop the management of irrigation water; (ii) representing the interests of all water users within the association's area of work; (iii) operating, maintaining and managing the agricultural irrigation and drainage system; (iv) producing or buying water from licensed resources and then redistributing it in a fair and timely manner to all farmers within the irrigation unit; (v) amicable settlement of disputes in relation to water sharing; (vi) setting the prices for water sale; (vii) collecting the costs of water usage from the users; (viii) approving the agricultural crop pattern and the irrigated areas for each crop; (ix) assessing the agricultural irrigation and drainage systems in use to set the mechanisms of distributing water, to prevent wasting and misuse, and determine water shares. Chapter III deals with association membership, which is optional to all water users, whether it was wholesale or from any joint traditional or non-traditional water resource. The articles establish conditions of membership, applications and member's rights and commitments, and loss of membership. Chapter IV concerns the management of the association, with tasks divided between General Assembly and Board of Directors. Main tasks of the General Assembly are (i) election of members of the board of directors; (ii) discussion and approval of plans and programs of the association's activities; (iii) approval of the association's annual budget; and (iv) approval and amendment of the association's internal bylaws. The Board of Directors manages the Association and shall be competent, between others, of the following (i) preparation of water distribution schedules among the beneficiaries; (ii) determination of water prices; (iii) cooperation with the official and non-official entities, and representing the association in front of the administrative and judiciary authorities.
Chapter V deals with financial issues, which derive mainly from association's membership subscription and annual fees, and water prices. Chapter VI deals with Dissolution of the Association, including procedures, liquidation of funds, etc. Chapter VII deals with an union of associations, formed by three or more associations. Such unions may also form among themselves a general union, given that joining such a union remains optional.