Water management regulations updated in Côte d'Ivoire and France

In Côte d'Ivoire, the Ministry of Water and Forests has clarified that domestic water usage is exempt from taxes and the requirement for prior authorization or declaration. Under Law No. 2023-902, these regulatory obligations apply exclusively to economic operators, including mining, energy, tourism, and industrial agricultural entities, as well as water supply and borehole operators.

In France, the Ministry of Agroecological Transition is developing a decree regarding drinking water catchment areas. The proposed regulation classifies catchments into three categories: exempt sites with good water quality, non-exempt sites with degraded quality requiring mandatory preventive action, and priority sites with high pollution levels. For priority sites, departmental prefects will implement mandatory action programs. This initiative is expected to affect approximately 2% to 4% of France's utilized agricultural area.