What does water law initiative 6816 propose, and where does it stand in Congress?

Initiative 6816, drafted by the executive (MARN) after the 'National Water Process' that took in more than 1,000 citizen proposals (November 2025), has 215 articles. It creates a Water Superintendency with functional, financial and administrative autonomy, which registers rights, issues use licenses (exclusive, renewable and transferable; water remains public property), sets extraction restrictions, charges fees and imposes penalties. The fee for large users is progressive: 10% in year 1 rising to 100% in year 7 (art. 53); it recognizes pre-existing uses, including indigenous and ancestral systems (arts. 24-25). Procedural status: the full Congress took it up and referred it to the Environment and Natural Resources Committee; CACIF has asked for a technical working group and deputies propose consulting on it before issuing an opinion.