The confirmation follows widespread confusion after the DWS announced its recent water-use registration campaign. DWS published draft regulations to monitor and regulate borehole drilling and groundwater extraction in the country.
“Many homeowners who depend on boreholes because of unreliable municipal water services believed they could face penalties or even criminal prosecution if they failed to register,” said Julius Kleynhans, Executive Manager at the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA).
The clarification comes after OUTA formally requested guidance from the department.
“South Africans should not have to fear prosecution simply because they installed a borehole to keep water flowing when municipal systems fail,” said Kleynhans.
“We engaged the DWS on behalf of concerned residents, and we welcome its prompt response in clarifying the legal position for domestic borehole users.”
OUTA said Schedule 1 of the National Water Act allows certain low-impact water uses without the need for a water-use licence or formal registration.
“These include reasonable domestic household use, watering a small non-commercial garden, watering livestock within normal grazing limits, harvesting rainwater, using water during emergencies and certain recreational water uses.”
“This clarification provides long-overdue legal certainty for ordinary households that have invested significant amounts of money simply to secure access to one of life’s basic necessities after repeated municipal water interruptions,” said Kleynhans.
“It also provides certainty for domestic users living on smallholdings and other properties that are not connected to municipal water services.”
