With winter rains still falling the National Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) held local public consultation workshops on new water tariffs.
On 26 and 27 July the department held a public consultation workshop with the water users of Berg-Olifants Water Management Area with consultative meetings taking place at Kathy Johnson Hall in Clanwilliam and at Laatson Chalets in Porterville.
On both days a team consisting of senior managers from both the Western Cape provincial office and the Head Office attended the engagements with water users.
The Berg-Olifants Water Management area including Saldanha Bay, Matzikama, Cederberg and Bergrivier municipalities as well as the City of Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Drakenstein.
Every year the department presents new water use tariffs to the water users. The proposed tariffs are for 2024-’25 and consist of Water Resource Management Charge, the Waste Discharge Charge System as well as the Water Resource Infrastructure Charge with effect from April 2024.
In terms of section 56, of National Water Act, (Act No 36 of 1998) (NWA), the minister may, with the concurrence of the Minister of Finance, from time to time by notice in the Government Gazette, establish a pricing strategy for any water use within the framework of existing relevant government policy.
The Raw Water Pricing Strategy was first developed in November 1999. The current version was approved for implementation in 2007.
The Act also allows the department to hold public consultations with the affected stakeholders and solicit their input before making a final decision on the proposed tariff.
Water users within the Berg-Olifants areas can send comments up to 16 August 2023 and the Sector-specific and National Consultation meetings for the 2024-’25 raw water charges will be held on 16 and 24 August 2023, respectively.
According to the department’s Thembisa Torch, the proposed increase will target specific sectors: . Mining, industrial and energy. Agricultural. Forestry
For example, in domestic, mining and industrial a proposed increase of 6.26 c/m3 has been proposed. In the agricultural sector all established irrigation farmers the proposed increase of 3.01 c/m3.
The department also advised users about the re-introduction of the Waste Discharge Charge System for industries, mines and municipalities.
This fee will be aimed at promoting the “Polluter Pays Principle’’ (PPP) and adoption of economic instruments with the aim to promote sustainable development and efficient use of water resources, the internalisation of environmental costs by polluters, use of water resources in a more optimal way and recovering costs associated with mitigating water quality impacts of waste discharge.
