Use water wisely - Agri SA

Company announcement

01 December 2008

Irrigation community warned to use water wisely or face consequences.

Agri SA has called on the irrigation community - the largest water users in South Africa to conserve water and use it within the framework of the National Water Act.

According to Johannes Möller, Agri SA president, the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry has a responsibility to act against unlawful water users. He said failure to do so has a detrimental effect on the interests of water users who operate within the framework of the National Water Act.

Agri SA is a member of the departmental steering committee, tasked with investigating possible further transfer of water from the Lesotho Highland scheme or, alternatively, transfer of water from the Tugela River to supplement the Vaal River system. Findings indicate that large quantities of water for irrigation is unlawfully extracted from the Vaal River.

He added that validation and verification of water use in the upper and mid Vaal River had been completed and they plan to take action on unlawful water users.

According to the information collected during this study, irrigation farmers pay a water resource management charge for the following purposes:

· To ensure that all water users receive their rightful share of water;

· To maintain sound river systems and sustain ground water;

· To limit the negative effects of human waste;

· To develop new schemes and expand existing schemes; and

· To eradicate invasive plants, that require too much water.

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