PRINCIPLES OF WATER LAW AND ADMINISTRATION © 2007 Taylor & Francis Group, London, UK BALKEMA – Proceedings and Monographs in Engineering, Water and Earth Sciences © 2007 Taylor & Francis Group, London, UK Principles of Water Law and Administration National and International DANTE A CAPONERA (1921–2003) 2nd Edition, revised and updated by Marcella Nanni LONDON / LEIDEN / NEW YORK / PHILADELPHIA / SINGAPORE © 2007 Taylor & Francis Group, London, UK Cover Illustration: The Nile: A Source of Life, watercolour by Alleyne Caponera Taylor & Francis is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2007 Taylor & Francis Group, London, UK Typeset by Charon Tec Ltd (A Macmillan company), Chennai, India Printed and bound in Great Britain by Anthony Rowe Ltd (CPI-Group), Chippenham, Wiltshire All rights reserved. No part of this publication or the information contained herein may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, by photocopying, recording or otherwise, without written prior permission from the publishers. Although all care is taken to ensure integrity and the quality of this publication and the information herein, no responsibility is assumed by the publishers nor the author for any damage to the property or persons as a result of operation or use of this publication and/or the information contained herein. Published by: Taylor & Francis/Balkema P.O. Box 447, 2300 AK Leiden, The Netherlands e-mail: [email protected] www.balkema.nl, www.taylorandfrancis.co.uk, www.crcpress.com British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Caponera, Dante Augusto, 1921–2003. Principles of water law and administration / Dante A. Caponera.—2nd ed. / rev. and updated by Marcella Nanni. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-0-415-43583-3 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Water—Law and legislation. 2. Water conservation—Law and legislation. 3. Water resources development—Law and legislation. I. Nanni, Marcella. II. Title. K3496.C37 2007 346.04691—dc22 2007002678 ISBN13 978-0-415-43583-3 (Hbk) ISBN13 978-0-203-93463-0 (eBook) © 2007 Taylor & Francis Group, London, UK Table of Contents Acknowledgements vii Biographical Notes ix Preface xi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1Water and the society1 2 The need forawater policy, legislation and administration2 3 The interdisciplinarity of the subject4 4 The physical context4 4.1 The hydrologiccycle4 4.2 Definition and analysis of precipitation5 4.3 Analysis of flow5 4.4Weather modification6 5 The socio-economic context6 5.1Water demand7 5.2Water pricing7 5.3 Externalities7 5.4 Cost analysis8 6 The purpose of the book8 References 8 CHAPTER 2: EARLIESTWATER REGULATIONS AND MANAGEMENT 1 The importance ofwater regulations throughout history9 2 The difficulty of studying earlywater regulations 10 3 The development of earliestwater law principles 11 4 Ancient Egyptianwater regulations and management 12 4.1 Earliest dynasties (3400–2650 BC) 12 4.2 Later dynasties (2650–300 BC) 12 5 Ancient Mesopotamianwater regulations and management 13 5.1 Historical development 13 5.2 The Hammurabi Code 13 5.3 Subsequent codifications 14 5.4 Detailedwater regulations 15 6 Ancient Hinduwater regulations and management 16 6.1 The Hindu legal system 16 6.2Water regulations in the Code of Manu 17 7 Ancient Chinesewater regulations and management 18 7.1 Introduction 18 7.2Water regulations 18 7.3 Basic principles 19 © 2007 Taylor & Francis Group, London, UK VI Table of Contents 8 Hebrewwater regulations and management 19 8.1 Introduction 19 8.2 The importance ofwater 19 8.3Water law principles 20 8.4 Conclusion 21 9 Pre-Columbianwater regulations and management 21 9.1 Coastal Peru (Inca) 22 9.2 Meso-America (Maya- Aztec) 22 10 Other early systems ofwater regulations and management 22 11 General conclusion 23 References 23 CHAPTER 3:ROMAN AND INTERMEDIATE PERIOD 1 Introduction 25 2 Romanwater law principles 25 2.1 The origins and Regal period (1000–500 BC) 25 2.2 The Republican period (509–27 BC) 26 2.2.1 The classification andownership ofwater 28 2.2.2 The right to usewater 28 2.2.3 Protection from harmful effects ofwater and control ofwaterworks and structures 29 2.2.4Water administration 29 2.3 The Principate (27 BC–286 AD) 30 2.3.1 The classification andownership ofwater 31 2.3.2 The right to usewater 32 2.3.3 Protection ofexistingwater rights: the interdicta 34 2.3.4 Protection from harmful effects ofwater and control ofwaterworks and structures 35 2.3.5Water administration 36 2.4 The Absolute Monarchy or Late Empire (286–565 AD) 37 2.4.1 The classification andownership ofwater 38 2.4.2 The right to usewater 39 2.4.3 Protection from harmful effects ofwater and control ofwaterworks and structures 40 2.4.4Water administration 40 3 Intermediatewater law principles in Europe (565–1812) 40 3.1 First period (fifth century AD–1158) 40 3.1.1 Introduction 40 3.1.2 Principles ofwater law under Roman-Barbaric rule 42 3.1.3 The feudal system 42 3.1.4Water law principles under the feudal system 43 3.2 Second period (1158-1812) 44 3.2.1 Introduction 44 3.2.2 The classification andownership ofwater 45 3.2.3 The right to usewater 45 4 Intermediatewater law principles in Ibero-America 46 4.1 Early legal principles 46 4.2Water regulations 47 References 47 © 2007 Taylor & Francis Group, London, UK Table of Contents VII CHAPTER 4: DEFINITION AND SOURCESOFWATERLAW 1 Introduction 49 2 The content and concept ofwater law 49 3 The relationship betweenwater law and other legal disciplines 50 3.1 Constitutional law 50 3.2 Administrative law 51 3.3 Civil law 51 3.4 Criminal or penal law 51 3.5 Agrarian law 51 3.6 Mining law 51 3.7 Natural resources and/or environmental law 51 3.8 Public health law 52 3.9 Other legal disciplines 52 4 Sources ofwater law 52 5 Legislation in general 52 6 International and interstate agreements 53 7 Customary law 54 8 Case law and arbitralawards 55 9 Doctrine, or scholarly opinion 56 10 Common law 57 11 Conclusion 57 References 57 CHAPTER 5: EXISTING SYSTEMS 1 Introduction 59 2 Original Romanwater law principles and their influence in subsequent legislation 59 3 Customarywater law: its importance 60 4Water law principles in the Islamic system 62 4.1 Introduction 62 4.2 The origin and sources of Islamicwater law 62 4.3Waterownership and the right of use 63 4.4 Groundwater law 64 4.5 The process of codification and the Ottoman Civil Code ‘Mejelle’ 65 4.5.1 The Ottoman Civil Code ‘Mejelle’ 65 4.5.2 The legal status ofwater 65 4.5.3 The right to usewater 65 4.5.4 Maintenance ofwaterways 66 4.5.5 The harim 66 4.6 Islamicwater administration 66 4.6.1 Customarywater administration 66 4.6.2 Recent developments in the administration ofwater 68 4.6.3 Government action in Moslem countries 68 5Water law principles in civil law countries 69 5.1 Introduction 69 5.2 The legal status ofwater resources 70 5.3 The right to usewater 71 5.4Water quality and pollution control 72 5.5Water administration 72 5.6 Conclusion 73 © 2007 Taylor & Francis Group, London, UK VIII Table of Contents 6Water law principles in common law countries 73 6.1 Introduction 73 6.2 The legal status ofwater resources 74 6.3 The right to usewater 75 6.4Water quality and pollution control 76 6.5 Recent developments of the common law system 77 6.6Water administration 78 7Water law principles in the former Soviet system 78 7.1 Fundamentals of Sovietwater law 79 7.2 The legal status ofwater 79 7.3 The right to usewater 80 7.4 Order of priorities 80 7.5 Harmful effects ofwater 80 7.6Water quality and pollution control 81 7.7 Enforcement 81 7.8 Centralized inventory and planning 81 7.9Water administration 82 7.10 Evolution and trends 82 8Water law principles in the Hindu subak system of Bali 84 8.1 Legal-historical background 84 8.2 Definition and origin 84 8.3 Organization 85 8.4 The legal status ofwater resources 85 8.5 The right to usewater 86 8.6 Order of priorities 87 8.7Water quality and pollution control 87 8.8 Thewater distribution system 87 8.9 Financial aspects 87 8.10Water law implementation 88 8.11 The settlement of disputes 88 8.12 The statutory subak 88 8.13 Conclusion 89 References 89 CHAPTER 6: DEVELOPMENTBY REGION 1 Africa 91 1.1 Introduction 91 1.2 Customary law 92 1.3 Countries following principles of the civil law system 93 1.4 Countries following principles of the common law system 94 1.5 Countries following principles of other systems 95 1.6 Countries influenced by principles of the Islamicwater law system 96 2 Asia and thePacific 96 2.1 Introduction 96 2.2 Countries following principles of the civil law system 97 2.3 Countries following principles of the common law system 97 2.3.1 Australia 97 2.3.2 Bangladesh 99 2.3.3 India 99 2.3.4 Sri Lanka (Ceylon) 100 2.3.5 Other countries 100 © 2007 Taylor & Francis Group, London, UK Table of Contents IX 2.4 Countries following principles of other systems 101 2.4.1 People’s Republic of China 101 2.4.2 Japan 101 2.4.3 The Philippines 101 2.4.4 Other countries 102 2.5Water administration 103 3 Central and South America 104 3.1 Introduction 104 3.2 Central and South Americanwater law principles 105 3.2.1 Latin American countries 105 3.2.2 Other countries of Central and South America 106 3.3 The legal status ofwater resources 106 3.4 The right to usewater 107 3.5 Order of priorities 107 3.6 Legislation onwater use, quality and pollution control 107 3.7Water administration 108 4 Europe 109 4.1 Introduction 109