Megan and Jaclyn attended a workshop with the Department of Water and Sanitation recently.
The workshop was held at the East London office of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and related to the new system of authorisation that will be employed by the DWS when considering applications for General Authorisations in terms of the National Water Act.
The main purpose of the workshop was to discuss the amended Authorisation that deals with the impeding or diverting the flow of water in a watercourse (Section 21 c) or altering the bed/banks, course or characteristics of a watercourse (section 21 i) of the National Water Act (NWA) (Act 36 of 1998). This General Authorisation (GA) replaces the need for a water user to apply for a licence in terms of the NWA (Act 36 of 1998) provided that the water use is within the limits and conditions of the GA.
The new GA applications and systems will only be applied to low risk activities (determined by the risk matrix provided by DWS) located within the regulated area of a specific watercourse. When an applicant has an activity that meets those criteria then they may now apply for a GA rather than a water use license as was the case previously. It must be noted that Medium and High risk activities will require a Section 21 (c) and (i) water use licence. The risk is determined after considering all listed control/mitigation measures. The risk assessment is to be completed by a SACNASP registered professional who is suitably qualified undertake such work.
Should you or your business require guidance with regards to the above please contact Terreco Environmental directly by visiting our Contact Us page on this website.
