Ramaphosa’s 90 days Water Use License Application Period SONA Announcement-What does it means for 100s of Mines Operating without WUL

The Announcement

During President Ramaphosa State of the nation Address on the 13th of February 2020, without getting political , the president made several announcement most without giving details on implementation timeframes. one of the most interesting announcement was the announcement of 90 days Water Use License Application (WULA)  period.  “Water use licences, which are so essential to operations on farms, factories and mines, have previously taken an inordinately long time to process, sometimes up to 5 years. We are able to announce that water use licences are now issued within 90 days” said President Ramaphosa during his State of the Nation Address.

The Backlog

According to IOL About 100 mines in South Africa were operating without a water-use licence, with some not having even applied for them, Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa has admitted to Parliament that a departmental backlog was to blame. During the public hearings on acid mine drainage, Molewa said the backlog in the department’s processing of water-use licence applications prevented it from granting licences to 94 mines that had applied for them. “Specific focus has been given to Eskom licence applications for energy generation. This includes the prioritisation of applications for coal mines as feeders to power generation for Eskom,” Molewa said.

The Implication 

The announcement by the president will surely ensure that the backlog is cleared and mining operations obtain their WUL timely. companies should however not relax their responsibility to undertake Water Use License Application and associated specialist Integrated Waste Water Management Plan (IWWMP). The Integrated Water and Waste Management Plan (IWWMP) is compiled to assist mines and industries who apply for a Water Use License (WUL) in terms of Section 40 (1) of the National Water Act, 1998 (Act No. 36 of 1998) (NWA). The IWWMP acts as a management plan and requires approval in conjunction with the WUL by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS).

GET A QUOTE FOR WATER USE LICENSE APPLICATION AND IWWMP

Tsiko Earth Sciences Solution  has the required expertise to develop IWWMPs  across a variety of mining sectors, which includes but is not limited to coal, gold, iron and platinum mining. Tsiko is also able to provide IWWMPs for all industries, golf courses, residential developments, municipal water supply projects and bottled water plants should they be required by DWS. To get a quote for your company