Warning to those drilling water boreholes

THE wanton illegal drilling of boreholes continues to take place at an alarming rate regardless of the regulations that have been put in place.

The regulations make it clear that no one is permitted to drill a borehole and distribute its water before being issued with proper authorisation.

With the illegal drilling of boreholes taking place, the planners for water service provision are in the dark about how much water is being abstracted from groundwater and where.

This makes it harder for them to ascertain how much groundwater we have available.

As we celebrate this year’s Water Week under the theme: “leaving no one behind; water for all”, we must ensure we are able to distribute the available water equitably.

Achieving the aim of equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030 is a pressing priority for many communities.

The achievement of this Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 target depends on the availability and equitable sharing of groundwater.

This will further assist the country to address its water challenges as spelt out in the National Water and Sanitation Master Plan in order to realise the National Development Plan.

If we keep on drilling unregulated boreholes, some people will be left out and not get water.

Therefore, the challenge we face is to take into account how we manage groundwater and regulate water services to ensure sustainability of our groundwater for human consumption.

Thus, the Department of Water and Sanitation as the custodian of water resources in the country has put in place a regulatory framework that addresses many aspects in the water business.

This includes regulating the abstraction of water from both surface and groundwater.

In this context, section 22 (j) of the National Water Act, 1998 (Act 36 of 1998), lists abstraction of water from the groundwater as water use. While this is so, section 26 (c) of the act further requires every water user to register their water use when abstracting it from a water resource such as a borehole.

If the volume of water drawn from the borehole is higher than the domestic limit, or if its use is not only for domestic consumption, the user must apply for a water use licence.

Another important factor that comes into play is whether or not the safety of the drinking water has been ascertained.

The standard is that drinking water must meet the South African National Standard (SANS) 241: 2015. This standard prescribes minimum determinants to be monitored, their numerical limits and the frequencies for monitoring.

This means that water samples must be taken and sent to an accredited laboratory to get water quality analysis to see if it complies with SANS 241: 2015 requirements.

It is also vitally important to be mindful that borehole water may be contaminated by seepages into the groundwater.

The seepage often comes from anthropogenic sources such as septic tanks, agricultural run-off, industrial waste and poor waste management.

These can result in acute chemical health and acute microbiological health hazards.

The aquifer of your borehole might also have a high chemical concentration and when ingested over a long period of time it can cause chronic illnesses.

In the light of this, it is of utmost importance that people who have boreholes and supplying others are properly registered as water service intermediaries by a water service authority having jurisdiction in their areas.

In this regard, the challenge of water scarcity in the country dictates that we do our best not to contravene our water laws and drill boreholes without regard for the future sustainability of these sources of our water.

By adhering to legal means of sourcing water, we are helping to stave off a serious situation which could have a far reaching impact on our lives.