Several laws and decrees have been approved by the Egyptian Parliament, the Cabinet of Ministers and the President to organize the work of the MWRI and to organize the distribution of water among different users and recently to protect the environment and water system from pollution. The main laws of relevance to the water sector legislative framework are: Law 12 for the year 1984 for the Irrigation and Drainage, Law 213 for the year 1994 for farmer participation and cost sharing, Law 93 for the year 1962 for the discharge to open streams and its modifications for the years 1962, 1982, and 1989.
The law 27 for the year 1978 for Regulation of water resources and Treatment of Wastewater, The Law 48 for the year 1982 Regarding the Protection of the River Nile and Waterways from Pollution, The Decree 380 for the year 1982 for the Industrial Water Pollution Control, law of Local Administration no. 43 of 1979, and The Law 4 for the year 1994 for the Environment protection. The National Water Resources Plan (NWRP) includes a detailed description of all water-related legislation and their current status.
The legal basis for irrigation and drainage is set in Law No. 12/1984 and its supplementary Law No. 213/1994 which define the use and management of public and private sector irrigation and drainage systems including main canals, feeders and drains. The laws also provide legal directions for the operation and maintenance of public and private waterways and specify arrangements for cost recovery in irrigation and drainage networks.
A legal basis for controlling water pollution exists through a number of laws and decrees. Law 48/1992 regarding the protection of the river Nile and other waterways from pollution, and Law 4/1994 on Environmental protection are the most important ones. Both laws create funds where fines are collected and which are used to fund monitoring and other activities.