Water Resources Framework Law No. 07/2018.

This Law, composed of 72 articles divided into thirteen Chapters, establishes the Framework Law for water resources management. It aims at managing and protecting inland water resources of public domain, whether superficial, transitional, coastal, or groundwater waters in order to: a) prevent further degradation and protect and improve the status of aquatic, terrestrial ecosystems and wetlands that are directly dependent on aquatic ecosystems in relation to their water requirements; b) promote sustainable water use, based on long-term protection of available water resources; c) provide enhanced protection and improvement of the aquatic environment, in particular through specific measures for the gradual reduction and phasing out of waste, emissions and losses of priority substances; d) ensure the gradual reduction of pollution of groundwater and prevent its worsening; e) mitigate the effects of floods and droughts; f) ensure the supply of sufficient good quality superficial and groundwater as required for a sustainable, balanced and equitable use of water; g) protect marine waters, including territorial waters; h) ensure compliance with the objectives of relevant international agreements, including those aimed at preventing and eliminating pollution in the marine environment; i) ensure water is used by current and future generations in a rational manner and with satisfactory standards of quality and protection of biodiversity; j) harmonize the use of water with the strategic objectives of social promotion, regional development, district and environmental sustainability; k) implement and ensure prevention and defense measures against environmental damage, critical hydrological events of natural origin or arising from water use; l) ensure the equal and fair distribution of charges and benefits for the use of water; m) promote and strengthen principles of citizenship, self-determination of peoples and solidarity for the construction of a sustainable society.
In addition, the Law establishes the National Policy on Water, whose objectives are: a) ensure the current and future generations the availability of water, in quality standards appropriate to their uses; b) promote the rational and integrated use of water resources, including waterborne transport, with a view to sustainable development; c) prevent and defense critical hydrological events of natural origin or due to inappropriate use of natural resources.
The Law is divided as follows: General provisions (Chap. I); Institutional Framework and competencies (Chap. II); National Policy on Water (Chap. III); Policy Instruments (Chap. IV); Use of Water Resources (Chap. V); Programmes of measures of protection and valorization (Chap. VI); Water Monitoring, Surveillance and Inspection (Chap. VII); Economic and Financial Regime (Chap. VIII); Quantity and Quality of Water (Chap. IX); Administrative and Criminal Procedure (Chap. X); State of Emergency (Chap. XII); Final and Transitional Provisions (Chap. XIII).