Procedures for the Securing of River-Segment Diversion Approvals Simplified

As mandated under Law No. 17 of 2019 on Water Resources (“Water-Resources Law”), the central government is required to manage the country's various water resources, specifically its rivers.[1] As a consequence, through the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (“Minister”), the Indonesian Government has now renewed provisions which address the diversion of river segments through the issuance of Regulation No. 21 of 2020 (“Regulation 21/2020”), which deals with similar issues as were previously addressed under Regulation of the Minister No. 26/PRT/M/2015 of 2015 on River-Segment Diversions and/or the Utilization of Former River Sections (“Regulation 26/2015”). Regulation 21/2020 has now been repealed and replaced by Regulation 26/2015.[2]