The Department of Water Affairs (DWA) embarked on a big drive to prioritise the eradication of the Water Use License Applications (WULA) backlog which had piled-up since 1998.
To tackle this challenge, DWA through its Chief Directorate Regulation established the Letsema Project to strengthen water resources management in the country through the eradication of the WULA backlog.
One of the main objectives of the scheme is to identify the licence backlog in the department. This project also intends to strengthen knowledge and skills capacity on the processing of WULA.
Commenting on the progress made by the scheme, Portia Makhanya, the project leader, said the initiative has been very positive and increased the process rate of WULA in the department. She added that the venture is on target to achieve its goals of strengthening water resources management in the water sector.
Makhanya also confirmed that new applications continue to be received and processed by the department under the backlog eradication project. At the same time, some of the decisions made and communicated to clients on the current project are subjected to queries by water users, entailing reviews.
The national government has overall responsibility for and authority over water resource management, including the equitable allocation and beneficial use of water in the public interest. For this reason, Makhanya emphasised that a person can only be entitled to use water if the water use license is permissible under the National Water Act (NWA). Hence, persons must apply for water use authorisations to the department.
This venture fulfils the regulatory function in the water sector on water allocation. It also allows the transition from older repealed acts to the National Water Act (NWA). The process compliments other initiatives in the department on water allocation reform, devolution of water management to local levels as well as service delivery and dam safety.
Source: Department of Water Affairs
