Busy month for the Blue Scorpions
Next month will be the busiest period for the Blue Scorpions, the Enforcement unit in the Department of Water and Sanitation.
The unit will heighten the conducting of raids on polluters and those who illegally abstract water from South Africa’s rivers and dams for the irrigation of their crops and other commercial purposes.
November is “Enforcement Month”. The unit will heighten unannounced visits and issue directives (notices) to those who are transgressing the law. They will dismantle illegal water pumps and seal electric power points that are used for pumping water in violation of the National Water Act. Mining companies and other industries whose untreated effluent poses a threat to ground water will face the full might of the law.
“We have targeted culprits that we will raid and if need be, we will haul them before the courts,” said Nigel Adams, the head of the “Blue Scorpions” whose enforcement team consists of experienced former policemen and women.
Their raids last year In KwaZulu-Natal uncovered a whole range of illegal sand mining activities along the coastal belt of Umvoti and Illovo rivers. The modus operandi of the illegal sand miners involved putting sand mounds across a river, thereby blocking the free flow of water.
This is a multi-million rand scheme through which refined river sand is excavated and sold to building companies in towns nearby. These illegal activities violated not only the constitutional rights of downstream users, but also contravened the National Water Act of 1998 which requires that any water use must be authorised through a water use license issued by the Department of Water and Sanitation. They also violated the National Environmental Management Act.
Adams said the government has a duty to regulate water use for the benefit of all South Africans, in a way which takes into account the nature of water resources and the need to make sure that there is fair access to these resources. The central part of this is to make sure that these scarce resources are beneficially used in the public interest.
The purpose of enforcement by government includes:
- To conduct inspections to determine the compliance status of the regulated community and detect violations; negotiations with individuals or representatives of an organisation who are out of compliance to develop mutually agreeable schedules and approaches for achieving compliance.
- Taking legal action where necessary to compel compliance and to impose some consequences for violating the law or posing a threat to public health and the environment.
Adams urged members of the public to contact the department about illegal activities of abstracting water and any matter relating to the pollution of water courses.
“I appeal to them to continue blowing the whistle to ensure that illegal activities are brought to an end. Transgressors must know that we can strike them at any time and that the raids by the “Blue Scorpions” are not confined to November only.
“South Africa is a water scarce country and it’s important that we share it fairly and equitably among all its citizens. Stealing water is a crime and it must be uprooted now.”
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