Vietnam: Encroaching upon land within water source protection corridors is strictly prohibited

According to Decree No. 43/2015/NĐ-CP of Vietnam’s Government, prohibited acts within water source protection corridors include:

- Acts that threaten to cause or cause the decrease of the function of water source protection corridors; cause river, stream, canal, ditch or reservoir bank slide, or seriously affect or threaten the stability and safety of rivers, streams, canals, ditches or reservoirs.

- Encroaching upon, illegally using land within water source protection corridors; using land at variance with approved land use purposes.

- Constructing or expanding contagious disease hospitals or clinics, cemeteries, waste dumping sites, toxic chemical factories, and production or processing facilities with hazardous wastewater.

Besides, bank edge of a river, streams, canal or ditch means the boundary between the natural talus of the river, stream, canal or ditch bank and the natural land surface in the horizontal direction. For an embanked river, stream, canal or ditch, the bank edge is the top of the embankment. The bank edges of natural or man-made lagoons, ponds or lakes other than hydroelectric or irrigation reservoirs will be determined by markers planted by agencies based on the highest water level; for coastal lagoons, their bank edges shall be determined based on the average highest tide in many years.

Concurrently, water sources of high biodiversity value means those closely associated with the regular or seasonal habitats of animal and plant species on the list of endangered and rare species prioritized for protection.

View more details at Decree No. 43/2015/NĐ-CP of Vietnam’s Government, effective from July 01, 2015.

Le Hai

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