Bulk water dealers must honour licence renewal
IT IS once again that time of the year when bulk water dealers across the country should come forward and renew their licences with the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA).
With bulk water dealing activities on the rise, especially in Harare and Bulawayo due to the inadequacy of municipal water, the need for strict and proper regulation also arises. The current drought also increases the need for appropriate regulation of bulk water dealers.
Bulk water dealers are covered under Statutory Instrument 90 of 2013, which obliges them to be registered with ZINWA for purposes of order, equity and fairness in the management of the highly finite and strategic groundwater resource.
In terms of the statutory instrument, a bulk water dealer or supplier is person who sells water in bulk for any purpose exceeding 2000 litres and includes water bottling companies.”
The statutory instrument further states that “no person shall sell groundwater or surface water in bulk without being registered with the Authority (ZINWA)” and imposes a level eight fine or imprisonment not exceeding six months or both in the event of non compliance. The Statutory instrument also fixes December 31 of each year as the deadline for the renewal of all licences in the event of the bulk water dealer wishing to continue with the business.
ZINWA is also conferred with an array of powers that include the power to inspect bulk water sites, vehicles and to even impound any bulk water or bulk water abstraction or transportation equipment if the activities are found to be illegal. So it is against this background that all bulk water dealers should strive to comply with the law to avoid the attendant consequences that come with non compliance.
While ZINWA fully appreciate the important role bulk water dealers play in the provision of potable water to residents of a number of suburbs in urban areas, the Authority remains highly mindful of the difficult times the country is undergoing in terms of water availability. The country is in the midst of its worst drought in 25 years and many places across the country are water stressed. Dams have no adequate water and groundwater has become a very viable alternative. However, the drought has not spared groundwater resources also. The water table has significantly been lowered to as low as 100 metres in other areas such as Gokwe resulting in thousands of boreholes across the country drying up. Unregulated and uncoordinated extraction of water will only serve to worsen the situation hence the need for all bulk water dealers to ensure that their activities are above board. Bulk water activities, if left unregulated, will certainly affect borehole owners in the areas where the abstraction will be taking place as the huge volumes that bulk water dealers draw will deplete the water table. Already ZINWA has had to intervene in areas such as Glen Forest where boreholes had begun drying up.
After the deadline and in the interest of the public, ZINWA will institute stringent mechanisms to help detect and stop any illegal bulk water abstraction activities. The Authority also appeals to bulk water dealers’ clients to ensure that they buy only from properly registered and licensed dealers in the interest of their health and safety. For more information please contact the ZINWA Corporate Communications and Marketing Department on pr@zinwa.co.zw or visit www. zinwa.co.zw or alternatively follow us on Twitter @zinwawater. You can also contact the ZINWA Call Centre on (04) 850 066⁄21 or 00867 700 4339.