Regulatory framework
Article 1. The purpose of this Law is to regulate the provision of. public services of drinking water and cit: sancamicnto, establish the regime of inspection, control and evaluation of such services and promote their development, for the general benefit of citizens, public health, the preservation of water resources and the protection of the environment , in accordance with the health and environmental policy that the National Executive Branch dictates in this matter and with the economic and social development plans of the nation.
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Article 1. This Law aims to establish the provisions that govern the comprehensive management of water, as an indispensable element for life, human well-being and the sustainable development of the country, and is of a strategic nature and interest of the State.
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The new legal instrument, brings together the provisions dispersed in the aforementioned Laws, allows the organicity and sovereign control of the different uses of water; managing their conflicts in order to overcome the sectoral and territorial fragmentation of the comprehensive management of the resource, in such a way as to guarantee the necessary tools to the State and the Venezuelan People to comply with the guiding principles contemplated in this instrument.
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The purpose of this Law is to establish the provisions on the management of water and air quality; environmental nuisances, and the conditions under which the management of liquid and gaseous waste must be carried out; in order to protect the health of living beings and ecosystems.
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This Law aims to establish the provisions and guiding principles for environmental management, within the framework of sustainable development as a fundamental right and duty of the State and society, to contribute to security and the achievement of maximum well-being of the population. and to sustain the planet, in the interest of humanity.
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Although this law does not explicitly mention irrigation activities in agriculture, it provides that the productive sustainability of the soil resource must be protected as a non-renewable good, not authorizing activities that cause water or soil degradation, or incompatibilities with other types of most beneficial use for soil or water.
Institutional Framework
Ministry of Popular Power for the Environment: Body of the Venezuelan National Executive in charge of guaranteeing a better quality of life, through transversal, governing, executory and regulatory environmental management, of the use and conservation of natural resources.
The Office of the Vice Ministry of Ecosocialist Environmental Management promotes the planning and development of environmental policies that guide our management towards the construction of an alternative model, based on a more harmonious relationship between human beings and nature. This management is articulated with other areas of public management to guarantee ecological, political, economic, social and cultural sustainability.
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The Office of the Vice Minister of Ecosocialist Water Management, made up of the General Directorates of Watershed Conservation, Reservoir and Drinking Water Management and Sanitation and Flood Control, has as its main function to propose, develop, implement and supervise the guidelines, policies and plans regarding drinking water and sanitation, as well as the comprehensive management of national and cross-border hydrographic basins. It is important to note that the Office of the Vice Minister of Ecosocialist Water Management promotes and coordinates the execution of the works that are necessary at the national level, which range from the capture of supply sources, drilling of deep wells, rehabilitation and construction of aqueducts, rehabilitation of water treatment plants, community works for the rehabilitation and construction of aqueducts, wastewater collection networks, collectors, pumping stations, wastewater treatment plants, final disposal through underwater discharges, as well as the execution of flood control works and channeling of streams and rivers. It also participates in the strategies established for the allocation of financial resources required in the execution of works by the Hydrological Companies, Governments, Mayor's Offices, or other competent organizations. This Office is responsible for supervising that the policies of the Bolivarian Government, such as The Plan National Water Service, meet the goal of increasing the supply of the vital liquid to 100% in urban sectors and rural areas.
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Exercise as a national authority comprehensive water management, an essential element for life, human well-being and the sustainable development of the country, based on the sustainable administration of hydrographic and hydrogeological regions, providing fair and equitable access to the drinking water service. , sanitation and its other uses.
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The council plans to regulate the entire management system, which in principle focuses on the conservation of water sources, in the second instance it will ensure users who intend to make economic use of water, in addition to protecting water from its source to its end. final disposition.
In Venezuela, we can say that there is a water crisis. This is due to at least three factors: first, a severe problem of access to water and its quality, which is experienced with varying degrees of severity by the bulk of the population. Second, a process of serious affectation of the watersheds that has negative impacts on the water cycles and, therefore, on the whole of life. And thirdly, the process of degradation of water sources and the collapse of the institutions responsible for managing the liquid have suffered profound impacts, revealing rather systemic problems, 90% of the Venezuelan population has some kind of water-related problem.
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Likewise, the Venezuelan Public Services Observatory (OVSP), an organization that regularly conducts studies on the perception of Venezuelans about water, has also indicated that in September 2021, 65.6% of respondents rated the water service negatively.In terms of water quality 60% indicate that the water has some color, while 25% indicate that the water has a smell, and 18% that it has flavor. This aspect is very important because it shows that in Venezuela there are problems of water security, not having an acceptable supply in terms of quantity and quality of water.Mining, deforestation, oil spills, agricultural and livestock activities are some of the causes that lead to pollution and degradation of water sources, including water reservoirs.56% of respondents considered that the water coming into their home was not safe for human consumption. Also, 63.3% of respondents reported that water storage due to service failures generates the proliferation of vectors such as mosquitoes and insects.