The newly revised Regulations on River Management in Shanxi Province were adopted by a vote.

In the past two years, Shanxi has continuously stimulated endogenous power and vigorously promoted local legislation on water resources. It has successively completed the Decision of the People's Government of Shanxi Province on Accelerating the Implementation of the Ecological Protection and Restoration of the Qihe River Basin, the Measures for the Implementation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Soil and Water Conservation in Shanxi Province (Amendment), the Regulations on the Protection of Fenhe River in Shanxi Province (Amendment), the Regulations on the Management of Water Resources in Shanxi Province (Amendment), and the Regulations on the Protection of Water Resources in Spring Areas in Shanxi Province (Amendment). The formulation and revision of government regulations. On July 29,

2023, another Regulation on River Management in Shanxi Province (Revised Draft) was deliberated and adopted by the Standing Committee of the 14th People's Congress of Shanxi Province at its fourth meeting, and came into effect on December 1, 2023. The

revised Regulations are divided into seven chapters and 37 articles, including general provisions, river regulation and construction, river protection, river utilization, supervision and management, legal liability and Supplementary Provisions. On the basis of the original Regulations, 13 articles have been amended, 19 articles have been deleted and 21 articles have been added.

The revision of the Regulations on River Management in Shanxi Province, promulgated on October 1, 1994, is an in-depth practice of Xi Jinping's thought of ecological civilization, Xi Jinping's thought of rule of law and the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech on ecol ogical protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin, and the spirit of inspecting Shanxi's important instructions. It is of great significance to ensure flood control and ecological security in Shanxi, strengthen ecological protection and restoration of rivers and lakes, promote rational and efficient utilization of water resources, and promote ecological protection and high-quality development in Shanxi. Based on the reality of Shanxi Province, the

new Regulations further clarify the responsibilities of people's governments at all levels and relevant departments through legislation, and further optimize and determine the main bodies and functions of river management at all levels and important river sections. At the same time, the responsibilities are compacted layer by layer, and the specific tasks and responsibilities of daily supervision, inspection and management of rivers are clearly assigned to the water administrative departments at the county level. The

new Regulations add new provisions on the responsibilities of relevant departments, requiring relevant departments at or above the county level to be responsible for the relevant work of river management within their respective administrative areas in accordance with the division of responsibilities. Promoting the cross-sectoral joint law enforcement mechanism from the legislative level, emphasizing that the people's governments at or above the county level should strengthen the capacity building of water administrative law enforcement, carry out joint law enforcement of river management, solve outstanding problems of river management according to law, and promptly investigate and punish water violations. The

new Regulations clearly implement the system of river and lake chiefs, stipulate that the river and lake chiefs are responsible for organizing and leading the management and protection of rivers and lakes in their respective administrative areas, coordinating and supervising the relevant departments and units at the corresponding level and the lower river and lake chiefs to perform their duties, and clarify the assessment mechanism of river and lake chiefs, emphasizing that the people's governments at or above the county level should establish the system of river and lake chiefs. The results of the assessment and evaluation are included in the annual comprehensive performance assessment and evaluation.

The new Regulations clarify the relevant provisions on river protection and utilization, and refine the relevant legal responsibilities. We will further strengthen the supervision and management of river-crossing construction projects, and increase and clarify the provisions on construction review and legal liability of river-crossing construction projects. Highlighting the concept of ecological protection, emphasizing that the people's governments at or above the county level should coordinate the functional orientation and protection objectives of different regions of rivers and lakes, scientifically determine the ecological protection and development and utilization projects of rivers and lakes, and give full play to the comprehensive benefits of flood control, water supply, environment and ecology of rivers and lakes. The new Regulations also clarify eight situations prohibited within the scope of river management in light of the actual situation of the province, and refine the relevant legal responsibilities. The

new Regulations implement the relevant requirements of the Yellow River Protection Law, refine the provisions of river regulation, and require that measures such as river barrier clearance, dredging, bank slope regulation, embankment reinforcement, water conservation and soil and water conservation, river and lake management and protection be taken according to local conditions, so as to effectively enhance the flood prevention capacity of the river and maintain the stability of the river regime and flood discharge. It also clearly requires the water administrative department to organize and carry out river dredging and dredging work in time according to the needs of river management, protection and flood control. The

new Regulations also clearly stipulate the contents of river monitoring, sand mining, informationization of river management and intelligent construction in mountainous areas, so as to provide legal basis for effectively solving the problems related to river management.