The Department of Water and Sanitation is expected to carry out raids in certain areas of the country to stop people from all sectors abstracting water illegally from rivers and other water resources.

The raids, which will also be conducted on industries that are polluting the country’s rivers, will form part of the department’s focus week to mark Enforcement Month, and to remind all South Africans about the importance of using water legally and sparingly.

Enforcement week is an annual activity which started in 2011. Originally a week long the department took the decision to extend the initiative to the entire month of November. The department decided to use one specific week during the month to ensure compliance by all water users.

“Non-compliance is problematic as it impacts negatively on socio-economic development. Illegal water use also implies that other sectors, communities, industries or agriculture, could have access to water curtailed by the illegal abstraction, pollution or over-use of the resource. Enforcement therefore will assist to mitigate these unfortunate eventualities,” said Sputnik Ratau spokesperson for the department.

Moving towards compliance

The second reason for the week of intense action is to guide and assist those that are on the wrong side of the law towards compliance.
In terms of the National Water Act of 1998, all water users in South Africa, whether for commercial or domestic use, must be registered through their municipalities and industries and must be issued with water use licenses.

“The National Water Act forms part of the pillars of South Africa’s laws as it seeks to enforce good management of water and its conservation.

“Enforcement Month marks an important period in the government calendar because of the scarcity of water in South Africa. We are among the 30 driest countries in the world, the country also runs the risk of becoming a desert in 20 years if we don’t manage and use our water sparingly,” said Anil Singh, Deputy Director General for Water Sector Regulation in the department.

He said it was unacceptable that some individuals and industries used the scarce resource for personal benefit without applying for water use licenses.

An increase in unlawful water use activities, with an impact on the environment as well as negative socio-economic factors, called for a need to bring about public awareness regarding compliance.