Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Dr Anxious Jongwe Masuka has urged individuals and organisations intending to drill boreholes in their premises to apply for a drilling permit through their respective catchment councils.
This follows an outcry from some residents in Bulawayo who were up in arms with the Upper Gwayi Sub Catchment for enforcing the payment of levies for the use of underground water.
Boreholes owners up in arms with Council over levies – #Asakhe – CITE
In a statement, Dr Masuka said there has been an increase in the number of individuals and organizations drilling boreholes without the relevant permits.
“The Ministry wishes to remind borehole owners, drillers and prospective borehole owners that groundwater use, just like surface water use, is governed by the Water Act (Chapter 20:24),” he said.
He said the Sub-Catchment Council is responsible for accessing and allocating water efficiently.
“In this regard, any individual or organisation intending to drill a borehole should apply for and obtain a drilling permit from their respective Catchment Council. This allows the Government to know the number and location of the boreholes, so as to avoid over-abstraction of the groundwater resource,” said Dr Masuka.
Meanwhile, he said the driller is required, by law, to provide the technical details on the drilling of such a borehole (i.e., the construction, the pumping tests and water yield and any other parameters).
Dr Masuka said it is also a legal requirement that a holder of groundwater permit keeps a record of the water abstracted in terms of the permit and have such water analyzed for physical, chemical and biological and other bacteriological constituents and to ensure that the water is safe and clean for human consumption.
“All individuals, institutions and organizations who may have drilled boreholes without the requisite documentation are, therefore, advised to approach ZINWA or their respective Catchment Councils to regularize their water use. The Ministry advises all water users to always ensure that their water use is in compliance with the law,” he said.
