Metro to crack down on illegal water sellers

People who buy from unlicensed vendors also face a R3,000 fine

The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality has warned residents and businesses who sell water illegally to desist immediately as it intensifies efforts to catch transgressors.

The municipality said it was aware of unregistered service providers selling water illegally across the metro, which has been in the grip of a crippling drought for years.

By yesterday, the city’s dam levels stood at a total average of 21.72%, with only 16.3% available because of dead storage.

The metro has encouraged residents to refer to the municipal website for a list of all licensed water service providers.

According to a municipal statement, anyone who sells water illegally faces a fine of R10,000, while people who buy the water can be fined up to R3,000.

To become a legal water service provider, residents and businesses must register with the department of water and sanitation.

The licence permits the holder to abstract a certain volume of water from a source, such as a borehole, to be used on the property where it is registered.

It may not be used elsewhere.

If you are a registered business, you must be registered as a schedule two water user, which will permit you to use water from an alternative source, such as a borehole, river or natural spring, for your stipulated requirements.

These requirements are for irrigation, industrial use, farming, car washes and highpressure cleaning, according to the municipal statement.

Municipal spokesperson Mthubanzi Mniki said shops that sold purified water did not fall under the two categories.

“They require a different licence,” he said.

According to the municipal statement, if you are using groundwater for purely domestic consumption you do not have to be registered with the department of water and sanitation but must get prior consent from city manager Noxolo Nqwazi to drill the borehole.

In addition, you must notify the municipality after the drilling has been completed.

There are formal application forms that need to be completed and submitted before drilling may start, as well as when it is completed.

People who do not follow this process face a R3,000 fine.

“Further to this, no property owner [will] under any circumstances be permitted to take the water off their premises or to fill up tanks for business purposes at other locations,” the statement reads.

The water must only be used on the property where it is registered.

Should a company or person qualify under the schedule two water use licence to take water off their property to another property, they must also get a water transport permit from the municipality.

The following must be submitted to obtain the transport permit:

● A certified copy of the schedule two water use licence from the department of water and sanitation;

● A list of the vehicles that will be used to transport the water, including makes and registration numbers;

● What the intended use of the water is at the delivery point;

● The address where the water will be abstracted;

● The name of the company or person who will be transporting the water; and

● The residential address of the owner of the transport business.