Water and Sanitation hold hands with other departments for a second phase of the enforcement blitz
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) in the Western Cape is rolling out the Phase Two of the enforcement and monitoring blitz as part of the drought intervention. DWS today held a meeting with different stakeholders who have an interest in the protection of the water source and supply.
The department is in partnership with different spheres of government. Some of the departments and government entities forming Phase Two of the blitz include the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Western Cape Liquor Authority, Department of Environmental Affairs, Development and Planning, Breede-Gouritz Catchment Water Management (BGCMA). The second phase will focus more on the Breede-Overberg Catchment Areas as well as the Berg-Olifants Water Management areas for wineries.
During this operation, DWS will be focusing on compliance to restrictions, installation of water meters, effluent standards as well as discharge while other organs of state will be focusing on Basic Condition Employment Act, Occupational Health and Safety, Employment Equity Act, validity of licenses for manufacturing and distribution of liquor by the wineries and the National Prosecuting Authority will priorities all the contraventions came across during the Blitz.
DWS Director Regulations Ms. Boniswa Hene says the department is broadening the intervention to involve other departments in a bid to emphasis that all users comply with the restrictions.
The department will also be focusing on the quantity of water abstracted, and the quality of water being discharged by the sector into the rivers and the environment. The current restrictions state that the water users are required to install electronic metering devices and submit their readings on a weekly basis.
Phase one of the enforcement blitz discovered some non-compliant activities. Working with different municipalities, the department will also put emphasis on the illegal abstraction and selling of surface and ground water in 1000 litre tanks for the filling up of swimming pools and construction sites. Section 22 of the Water Services Act prohibits the transaction of water without authorisation/nomination as a water services intermediary by the relevant Water Services Authority. Users who are trading with water from their private boreholes without authorisation would be in contravention of the NWA, and may be prosecuted.
“In some instances, people trade with water under the pretext of charging for transportation of water not the actual selling of the water. Some municipalities have by-laws prohibiting the transportation of water. This is one of the activities the team will be focusing on”, said Hene.
The Western Cape Environmental Crime Forum chaired by Adv. Collopy has indicated that the National Prosecuting Authority intends to prioritise all water cases.
The enforcement and monitoring blitz is also a means of verifying lawful water access while ensuring that water users adhere to current water restrictions gazetted and published recently. This activity forms part of national government’s initiatives to support the Western Cape to ensure that taps do not run dry.
For more information contact:
Sputnik Ratau
Cell: 082 874 2942
