On Wednesday, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) met the water users of the West Coast to report back on the joint enforcement blitz with the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning held during November.
Last month, the DWS Western Cape office received several complaints relating to alleged unlawful activities (ie the diversion of rivers and the illegal construction of dams) taking place on the West Coast.
As a proactive measure, the DWS, in conjunction with other stakeholders, embarked on a three-week blitz to inspect properties. The following are the findings:
– Unlawfully constructed dams.
– Infilling and excavation-related activities within watercourses.
– Unlawfully constructed structures within the watercourse causing the diversion and impeding water flow.
– Water users operating with expired water use licences, with others failing to comply with licence conditions.
– On the domestic front, there are water leaks, especially linked to communal toilets.
– Despite imposed water restrictions, some households continue to water gardens.
Western Cape regional head of DWS Rashid Khan said, after consultation with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), that they agreed to prioritise all water-related cases given the current drought crisis in the Western Cape.
The DWS wishes to reiterate that those who are not complying with water- and environmental-related legislations will be subjected to administrative and criminal enforcement action.
The department is currently working on an incentives strategy for those who are complying with the National Water Act by alerting their international and local associations and consumer bodies of their compliance status.
The DWS and NPA will undertake administrative and criminal enforcement measures against all those identified as illicit water users.
The DWS will escalate water conservation awareness education to sensitise communities about the drought. The monitoring and enforcement of imposed water restrictions is a top priority to enhance water security.
A task team consisting of water users has been established to monitor the availability of water and compliance to ensure the equitable distribution of water.