Thailand, When the Water Runs Short
Thailand
NOAA declared El Niño officially formed in June 2026. Thailand’s central-region reservoirs are already below the 30% critical threshold. With peak intensity forecast for November 2026~January 2027, the country is …
Japan
On May 7, 2026, Japan’s Ministry of the Environment (MOE) announced that the chair of the Central Environment Council had submitted to the MOE an advisory report titled “Approach on …
Australia
The Government of New South Wales, Australia, published the “Landfill and Sewage Treatment Plant PFAS Monitoring Chemical Control Order 2025” in its Government Gazette dated May 29, 2026. This order …
Australia
In May 2026, the Australian, state, territory, and New Zealand governments through the Heads of EPA Australia and New Zealand (HEPA) published Version 3.1 of the PFAS National Environmental Management …
Global
On April 30, 2026, the World Resources Institute (WRI) announced that it would jointly develop “Water Scopes 1–3,” a standardized guidance framework for measuring and managing corporate water risks across …
Vietnam
On 17 January 2026, the Government issued Decree No. 23/2026/ND-CP, amending and supplementing a number of provisions of Decrees in the field of water resources, which took effect on the …
Vietnam
On 17 January 2026, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE) issued Circular No. 06/2026/TT-BNNMT, amending and supplementing several provisions of circulars in the field of water resources. The Circular …
Singapore
On May 21, 2026, Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) released TR 149:2026 Specification for Organisations to Progress Towards Environmental Sustainability Excellence. This technical reference provides a framework to help organizations understand their …
Thailand
Section 70 of the Enhancement and Conservation of National Environmental Quality Act B.E. 2535 (1992) requires owners or operators of certain pollution sources to install or provide wastewater treatment systems …
Indonesia
The Jakarta Special Capital Region Regulation No. 5/2026 on Energy and Water Efficiency in Buildings was promulgated and enforced on February 6, 2026, replacing the former “Jakarta Special Capital Region …
China
The Ecological Environment Code of the People’s Republic of China was passed by the 14th National People’s Congress and will take effect on August 15, 2026. This article (Part 3) …
China
The Ecological Environment Code of the People’s Republic of China was promulgated on March 12, 2026, by Presidential Order No. 70. This is the second law in China to be …
Vietnam
On January 29, 2026, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of Vietnam promulgated “Circular No. 09/2026/TT-BNNMT on amendments and supplements to several provisions of Circular No. 02/2022/TT-BTNMT on the implementation …
Vietnam
On 29 January 2026, The Government hereby promulgates “Decree 48/2026/ND-CP amending and supplementing certain Articles of the Government’s Decree No. 08/2022/ND-CP on elaboration of several Articles of the Law on …
China
On February 2, 2026, China’s Ministry of Water Resources published the 2025 edition of the Guidelines on Preferential Policies for Water Conservation Industry. The guidelines aim to promote government measures …
*Taiwan
On February 23, 2026, Taiwan’s Ministry of Environment promulgated the revised version of the Types and Limit Values of Substances Hazardous to Health Prohibited from Discharge into Groundwater Systems. The …
China
On January 29, 2026, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released a draft of the Administrative Measures for Industrial Water Conservation (hereinafter, the Measures) and launched a public …
Vietnam
On 6 November 2025, the Vietnamese government issued Decree No. 290/2025/ND-CP, which stipulates penalties for administrative violations in the water resources sector. It replaces the penalty provisions for the water …
Assessing the Flood Risk and Mitigation Strategies in the Philippines
Philippines
Understanding Flood Risk in the Philippines Geographic and Climatic Factors Flooding is one of the most frequent and destructive environmental hazards affecting the Philippines. Each year, seasonal monsoon rains and …
Vietnam
On December 11, 2025, the National Assembly of Vietnam promulgated “Law No. 146/2025/QH15 Amending 15 Laws in the Agriculture and Environment Sectors.” This amended Law No. 146/2025/QH15 will take effect …
South Korea
On December 10, 2025, the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea announced a draft amendment to the Water Environment Conservation Act and stated that it was under consideration by …
China
An article recently published on China’s national congress’s website and other platforms reports that a second draft of pollution control provisions and penal provisions in the draft Ecological and Environmental …
Vietnam
On November 6, 2025, the Government of Vietnam promulgated Decree No. 290/2025/ND-CP, which stipulates penalties for administrative violations in the water resources sector. The decree establishes sanctions for violations of …
South Korea
The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment (MCEE) of South Korea issued a preliminary notice of draft amendments to the Enforcement Rule of the Sewerage Act, launching a 40-day public …
Thailand, Flood Prevention and Mitigation Procedure for Factories
Thailand
Despite Thailand’s favorable climate compared to many other countries in the region, it frequently experiences conditions characterized by heavy rainfall and high water runoff, often exacerbated by forecasts issued by …
China
On October 31, 2025, the State Council of China promulgated the Regulation on Ecological Environment Monitoring (hereinafter referred to as the “Regulation”) as a State Council decree. The Regulation will …
China
On October 30, 2025, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released the “Catalog of Nationally Encouraged Industrial Water-Saving Processes, Technologies, and Equipment (2025 Edition).” The catalog lists water-saving …
Vietnam
On July 1, 2025, the People’s Committee of Dong Nai Province issued Decision No. 255/QD-XPHC, imposing administrative sanctions on Pou Sung Vietnam Co., Ltd. for violations of environmental protection regulations.
South Korea
On August 28, 2025, the Ministry of Environment (MOE) of South Korea announced that it would impose a fine of KRW 176.1 billion (126.6 million USD) on HD Hyundai Oilbank, …
India
India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has published and enforced the “Environment (Protection) Seventh Amendment Rules, 2025” on September 4, 2025. The amendment has tightened standards for …
Indonesia
On September 9, 2025, Indonesia has published the Minister of Environment Regulation No. 12 of 2025 concerning Textile Business Activities Wastewater Quality Standards. This regulation amends the previous wastewater standards …
Philippines
On June 4, 2025, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines issued “Administrative Order No. 2025-24: Guidelines on the Designation of Waterbodies as Non-Attainment Areas (NAAs) …
South Korea
On June 12, 2025, the Ministry of Environment (MOE) of South Korea announced draft amendments to the Water Environment Conservation Act and the Sewage Act. The proposed amendments aim to …
India
India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has notified the Environment Protection (Management of Contaminated Sites) Rules, 2025 on July 24, 2025, effective immediately. The rules stipulated soil, ground …
Australia
On June 25, 2025, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) of Australia released version 4.0 of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines 6 2011. The updated edition lowers the …
Japan
On June 30, 2025, Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency issued Cabinet Office Notification No. 105 of 2025 to amend the Standards for Foods, Food Additives, etc. (Ministry of Health and Welfare …
China
On June 23, 2025, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published the Second List of Toxic and Hazardous Water Pollutants on its official website. The list was developed in accordance …
China
On May 14, 2025, China’s central government released a new policy, aimed at improving the market-based allocation of environmental resources. The guideline, titled the “Framework for the Market-Based Allocation …
China
On May 12, 2025, China’s Ministry of Water Resources has released a draft set of 14 mandatory national standards that define industrial water use quotas for various sectors operating in …
South Korea
The Ministry of Environment (MOE) of South Korea issued a preliminary legislative notice proposing partial amendments to the Presidential Decree and Enforcement Rules of the Act on Promotion and Support …
China
On March 31, 2025, China’s Ministry of Water Resources, in coordination with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the State Administration for Market Regulation, and other central agencies, has …
Vietnam
On December 31, 2024, Vietnam’s Ministry of Health issued Circular No. 52/2024/TT-BYT, establishing the “Regulations on Domestic Water Quality Testing and Monitoring and National Technical Standards for Domestic Water Quality …
China
On April 10, 2025, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published “Official Guidelines on more Effective Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Construction of Facilities Involving New Pollutants” in key …
South Korea
On March 20, 2025, South Korea’s Ministry of Environment (MOE) promulgated and enforced a partial amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Water Environment Conservation Act (hereinafter “the Act”). The …
Vietnam
On February 28, 2025, Vietnam’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment issued Circular 06/2025/TT-BTNMT, which includes the new national technical regulation on industrial wastewater, QCVN 40:2025/BTNMT. This regulation replaces the …
China
On March 12, 2025, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published a draft mandatory national standard called the Discharge Standard of Water Pollutants for Textile Industry. The ministry seeks comments …
Australia
On January 23, 2025, the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) announced that curbing PFAS contamination at primary sources is critical. This statement reflects Adam Lovell, Executive Director of WSAA, …
India
On March 26, 2025, India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) issued the “Environment (Protection) Second Amendment Rules, 2025,” which will enter into force a year from the …
*Taiwan
On January 20, 2025, the Ministry of Taiwan released the amendment to the “Water pollution control measures and test reporting management regulations”. The amendment was made to strengthen the management …
China
On Jan. 27, 2025, the government of Beijing, China announced 2025 action plans for air, water and soil pollution control, climate change response, and ecological protection. The official notice refers …
China
On Dec. 30, 2024, the Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment of Shanghai, China issued detailed regulations, including an independent table, on the environmental credit evaluation of pollution-discharging entities in …
Vietnam
On January 5, 2025, the Government of Vietnam promulgated “Decree No. 05/2025/ND-CP Amending and Supplementing Decree No. 08/2022/ND-CP Detailing a Number of Articles of Law on Environmental Protection”, which came …
Malaysia
The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) has published the “Guidelines for the Sustainable Development of Data Centres” in December 2024.
China
On 2024, Nov. 29, the China Electronics Standardization Institute, a Chinese non-profit organization under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, published drafts of three industry standards for high-purity recycled …
*Taiwan
On December 18, 2024, the Ministry of Environment of Taiwan issued the amended standard “Effluent discharge requirements”. The amended standard will tighten the discharge requirements for NH3-N, P and Cu …
Indonesia
On December 9, 2024, the Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources promulgated Ministerial Regulation No. 14/2024 on Groundwater Business Permit and Groundwater Use Approval. This Regulation governs groundwater development …
Japan
On December 24, 2024, Japan held an expert meeting to discuss provisional target values for PFOS and PFOA levels in tap water, as well as provisional guidelines for public water …
China
On Nov. 6, 2024, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published a draft national ecology and environment standard for the evaluation of the implementation of national standards for pollution discharge, …
China
On Nov. 3, 2024, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment announced a Program for Full Implementation of Pollution Discharge Permits. These permits cover not only pollution discharge but also industrial …
China
On October 16,2024, the Ministry of Finance of China issued the “Implementation measures for water resource tax reform pilot” and announced that the water resource tax will be implemented nationwide …
India
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has published three rules on the manner of holding inquiry regarding emissions and effluent in November 2024, all of which came …
South Korea
On October 15, 2024, the Ministry of Environment (MOE) of South Korea announced that Presidential Decree on the Act on the Promotion of and Support for Water Circulation (hereinafter “Water …
China
On Oct. 2, 2024, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published experimental measures on the oversight and management of wastewater outlets into the sea. The measures aim to rigorously enforce …
China
On October 16,2024, the Ministry of Finance of China issued the “Implementation measures for water resource tax reform pilot” and announced that the water resource tax will be implemented nationwide …
India
India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has published the draft “Liquid Waste Management Rules, 2024” on 7 October 2024 and is seeking comments for 60 days. Based on the …
China
On July 1, 2024, the Ecology and Environment Department of Hunan Province, China issued a mandatory provincial standard called the Discharge Standard of Perchlorate Pollutant for Industrial Wastewater. The standard …
*Taiwan
On Sept. 26, 2024, Taiwan’s Ministry of Environment published a draft revision of regulations called the Water Pollution Control Measures and Test Reporting Management Regulations to seek public comments.
Thailand
On August 29, 2024, the “Office of the National Water Resources Notification on the 20-Year Water Resources Management Master Plan (Revision Phase 1, 2023–2037 (B.E. 2566–2580))” was promulgated in Thailand. …
Indonesia
On August 14, 2024, the “Government Regulation No. 30/2024 on Water Resources Management” (hereinafter the “Regulation”) was promulgated in Indonesia and came into effect on the same day. In order …
*Taiwan
On August 27, 2024, the Ministry of Taiwan released the draft amendment to the “Effluent Standards” and started soliciting comments. The Standards was promulgated under the Article 7 of the …
China
On June 25, 2024, China’s National Development and Reform Commission and several ministries issued Guiding Opinions on Accelerating the Development of the Water Conservation Industry. The guiding opinions aim to …
Vietnam
On May 16, 2024, the Government of Vietnam promulgated Decree No. 53/2024/ND-CP on the Detailed Regulations for Implementing a Number of Articles of the Law on Water Resources (hereinafter ”the …
Singapore
Singapore’s Sewerage and Drainage (Trade Effluent) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2024 (hereafter referred to as the Regulations) were promulgated on June 28, 2024 and came into effect on July 1. …
China
On May 13, 2024, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published a draft program for the full implementation of the pollutant discharge permit scheme. The ministry sought comments on the …
Thailand
Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand published “Notification of the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand No. 029/2567 regarding general standard for wastewater discharge into the central wastewater treatment system in industrial …
China
On May 9,2024, the Chinese State Council announced the “2024 Legislative Work Plan”. According to the plan, the draft of the Law on Safety Management of Hazardous Chemicals will be …
Thailand
In March 2024, the Ministry of Industry of Thailand released the Ministerial Draft Notification on Data Reporting on Types and Amounts of Pollutants from Factory Operations (hereinafter referred to as …
China
On March 15, 2024, the State Administration for Market Regulation and the State Standardization Administration of China released the amended voluntary national standard “Reuse of urban recycled water-Water quality standard …
China
On March 20, 2024, the State Council of China issued the “Regulations on Water Conservation”, which is the first national-level regulations on water conservation in China. The Regulations will take …
China
On April 1, 2024, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment promulgated the revised version of the Measures on Pollutant Discharge Permits. The revised Measures will come into effect on July …
China
On Feb. 29, 2024, the Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment of Shanghai, China, issued mandatory local standard called the Discharge Standards of Pollutants for Semiconductor Industry (DB 31/ 374-2024). …
China
In January 2024, China’s Ministry of Water Resources announced a program for the protection and utilization of the coasts of the major lake and rivers in the Taihu (Lake Tai) …
Vietnam
On November 27, 2023, the Vietnamese National Assembly promulgated the Law on Water Resources (28/2023/QH15). This law fully revises the existing Law on Water Resources 2012 (17/2012/QH13) and will come …
Singapore
On December 28, 2023, Singapore promulgated the Public Utilities (Water Supply) (Amendment) Regulations 2023, which specify the effective date of the Public Utilities (Amendment) Act 2023 (Commencement) Notification 2023 (hereinafter …
China
On Nov. 15, 2023, the Department of Ecology and Environment of Hebei province, China, published three water pollutant discharge local standards for the Yongding River Basin (DB13/5880-2023), Chaobai River Basin …
China
To strengthen the management of sewage outfalls into water bodies, the Ecology and Environment of China issued three ecology and environment standards on technical guidelines for the supervision and management …
China
On Oct. 28, 2023, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment released an infographic that provides an overview and important regulatory points of local standards for water pollutant discharge in Nansi …
Malaysia
Malaysia’s Department of Environment proposed a draft for the Environmental Quality (Sewage) Regulations 2009 on October 20, 2023, and asked for public comment. The draft amendment proposes new sewage standards …
China
On Sept. 4, 2023, the Department of Ecology and Environment of Anhui province, China, published a mandatory local standard called the Integrated Wastewater Discharge Standard for Nansi Lake Basin (DB34/4542-2023). …
China
On Sept. 22, 2023, the Standing Committee of the Municipal People’s Congress of Tianjin, China, published municipal regulations on urban drainage and recycled water use, which will come into effect …
China
On Sept. 7, 2023, China’s Standardization Administration published a recommended national standard called the General Principles of Drafting Norm of Water Intake for Industry (GB/T 18820-2023). This is a revision …
China
On Aug. 18, 2023, the Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment of Shanghai, China, issued “implementation opinions” on the long-term management of pollution outlets into the Yangtze River based on …
Singapore
Singapore’s Public Utilities (Amendment) Bill was passed by Parliament on August 3, 2023. This bill partially revises the “Public Utilities Act 2001” and legislates the policy announced by the Public …
China
On June 7, 2023, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published on its website a mandatory industry standard called the Technical Specification for Quality Inspection of Pollutant Discharge Permit (HJ …
China
On May 26, 2023, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published on its website a mandatory industry standard called the Technical Specification for Two-dimensional Code Identification of Pollutant Discharge Outlet …
China, Ecological and Environmental Protection Policies for Major River Basins
China
River basins cover approximately 1.8 million square kilometers of land in China, with the 7 Major River Basins being those of the Yangtze, the Yellow, the Pearl, the Songhua, the …
Indonesia
In Indonesia, “Presidential Regulation No. 37 of 2023 on the National Policy on Water Resources” was promulgated on June 16, 2023. This Presidential Regulation establishes the National Water Resources Policy …
Vietnam
On June 7, 2023, the Vietnam Office of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), together with the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam and the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry …
China
On June 7, 2023, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment published a national ecology and environment standard called the Guideline on Available Techniques of Water Pollution Prevention and Control for …
Singapore
On June 5, 2023, the Public Utilities Board of Singapore (PUB) announced that it would strengthen a series of support measures and incentives for companies to manage their water resources …
China (1,124)
*Hong Kong (27) *Taiwan (250) Japan (104) South Korea (339)
Brunei (8)
Cambodia (2) Indonesia (128)
Laos (14) Malaysia (141)
Myanmar (8) Philippines (173) Singapore (149) Thailand (236) Vietnam (363)
Oman (2)
Saudi Arabia (6) Australia (73)
New Zealand (24)
