On 18 September 2020, the Acting Director General of the Department of Human Settlements Water and Sanitation gazetted a notice extending the timeframe within which irrigation water users must install water measuring devices.
This requirement applies to water taken for irrigation purposes by the categories of water users indicated below, who must comply with this requirement within 120 working days from the date of publication of the notice.
- Water users who are not members of an Irrigation Board or Water Users Associations, as required in terms of GN 34 of 17 January 2020; and
- Members of Irrigation Boards or Water Users Associations that have water use authorisations to abstract water, who have not yet installed water measuring devices, as required in terms of GN 141 of 23 February 2018.
The selection, installation, operation and maintenance of water measuring devices should comply with the requirements specified under GN 131 of 2017.
Failure to install water measuring devices within this extended timeframe is a criminal offence which may result in the implementation of enforcement action. The risks of non-compliance include the issuance of a fine or imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years.
Written by Tendai Bonga & Lucia Selaelo, Webber Wentzel