In an official letter to the Minister of Water Affairs and Sanitation, Lindiwe Sisulu, TLU SA strongly objected to an announcement on the installation of obligatory water measuring devices for irrigation farmers.
The notice was published in the Government Gazette on 17 January 2020 and gives farmers thirty days to install these devices, at their own cost. Any water users who are not members of a State Water Scheme or Water Users Association must install the meters. According to the department, the purpose is to ensure the sustainability of water use in South Africa because the demand for water is higher than the available supply.“TLU SA agrees that the monitoring of water use in the country should be better,” says Mr Steven Vermaak, the chairperson of TLU SA’s Water Affairs Committee.
“The delay in establishing Water User Associations is,however, a more pressing matter which should be prioritised. It will contribute to manage the use of water more efficiently. In our correspondence, we asked the installation of water measuring devices to be postponed until these associations are set up.”
A single 50mm water meter which adheres to the specifications set out by the department, costs around R18 000, but the bigger the in- and outlet, the more expensive it gets.
Farmers also have to keep monthly water measurement records under specified regulations and submit it to the department.
“The measurement of water use is the responsibility of the state and not that of the water user,” says Mr Vermaak. “The authorities are doing an abysmal job of managing the use of water. On top of that, there aren’t even enough water meters in the country to complete this task.”
“TLU SA believes that the Water User Associations will play an essential role to solve the dispute between TLU SA members and the department, concerning the payment of invoices,” says Mr Vermaak. “It will also contribute to shortening the existing, long line of communication and solving problems related to water delivery accounts faster.”
