The Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs has, in terms of section 39 of the National Water Act 36 of 1998, revised the general authorisation in section 3 of the Schedule to Government Notice No. 398 of 26 March 2004 and the general authorisations in sections 2, 3 and 4 of the Schedule to Government Notice No. 399 of 26 March 2004.
The effect of this notice is that the general authorisation for section 21(e), 21(f), 21(h), 21(g) and 21(j) water uses are now regulated by this notice. The changes which have been implemented include, inter alia, -
- Restrictions as to the irrigation of wastewater and the location of wastewater storage dams and wastewater disposal sites within a 500 m radius of a wetland;
- The provision that measurements in respect of samples taken must be undertaken by a duly accredited laboratory; and
- Reporting requirements in respect of any incident that is likely to have a detrimental impact on water resource quality.
The general authorisations as set out in this notice are valid for a period of 5 years from the date of publication, i.e. until 5 September 2018, which period may be extended by notice in the Government Gazette.
