National Water Act, 1998 (Act No. 36 of 1998)

Notice No. 141

23 February 2018

GG 41456

Department of Water and Sanitation

I, Sifiso Mkhize, in my capacity as Acting Director-General of the Department of Water and Sanitation, on reasonable grounds believe that a water shortage may exists on/in most catchments around the country, and that there is poor compliance to provisions of Government Notice No. 131 of 2017 (Regulations requiring that the taking of water for irrigation purposes be measured, recorded and reported), Section 22(2) and Section 63 (1) as well as item 4 of Schedule 3 of the Water Act of 1998 (Act 36 of 1998) in exercising water use, instruct all Irrigation Boards and Water Users Associations in the country to install water measuring devices for water taken for irrigation purposes and to monitor compliance to Government Notice No. 131 of 2017.

Irrigation Boards and Water Users Associations that have water use authorizations to abstract are required to install water measuring devices one month from the date of publication of this notice. The measuring devices must be selected, installed, operated and maintained according to Government Notice 131 of 2017. This requirement supersedes any other requirement to measure that may have issued, including conditions attached to the water use authorization.

Irrigation Boards and Water users Associations are to instruct their water user members to install water measuring devices in line with Government Notice 131 of 2017. Water users are required to submit water measuring records on a monthly basis directly or through the Water Users Association or Irrigation Board depending on their location, to one of the following emails:

Water users taking water in different Water Management Areas are to submit measuring records according to the location of their properties where water is taken.

Irrigation Boards and Water Users Associations are to monitor compliance of their water user members to the measuring requirements contained in Government Notice 131 of 2017. Irrigation Boards and Water Users Associations are to provide investigation or compliance reports to the Provincial Heads of the Department of Water and Sanitation in cases of noncompliance in order to initiate enforcement process in terms of Sections 53 and 54 of the National Water Act of 1998 (Act 36 of 1998).

Acting Director-General

Date: 05/02/2018