Irrigation in the Dominican Republic
Legal framework
### Legal framework

The Water Law, No. 5852 passed in 1962, promotes the creation of irrigation districts and irrigation organizations. Relevant aspects of this law include the establishment of limited property rights over water originated in one's land through springs and rain water and the linkage of water rights with land ownership.

Law No. 6 of 1965 created the [National Institute for Water Resources](https://web.archive.org/web/20081031190455/http://indrhi.gov.do/) (INDRHI), the national water authority, assigning functions for operating irrigation systems with the participation of users. INDRHI has been the promoter and developer of irrigation, thus having responsibility at three functional levels: policy development and planning at the constitutional (normative) level; water rights administration, regulation enforcement and hydrological services at the organizational level; and water use for the irrigation system at the operational level.

Presidential decrees and agreements between INDRHI and Water Users Association (Asociaciones de Regantes\- WUA) have provided legal support for the Irrigation Management Transfer Program (IMTP) (see below).


What are limited property rights over water?