The agriculture ministry on Tuesday held consultations on the establishment of a water regulator.
The consultations form part of the implementation of the Water Resource Management Act.
The water regulator would be responsible for determining the fees and charges water providers may levy as well as the cost of licences for water abstraction and effluent discharge.
The regulator, made up of five persons appointed by the minister, monitors the performance of water service providers and water suppliers.
Khomas region stakeholders made suggestions and asked questions about the implementation of the Water Resource Management Act at the consultation event hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform in Windhoek.
The act came into force in December 2023, and is replacing an outdated water management law from 1956.
Maria Amakali, director of water resource management at the ministry, welcomed participants on behalf of executive director Ndiyakupi Nghituwamata, who was unable to attend.
“You will hear what is in the act, what is it providing, what is in it for you and how it is applicable to you,” Amakali said, addressing the attendants.
Ministry personnel explained the different sections of the act before inviting stakeholders to comment and ask questions.
Under the new law, only domestic water users need not apply for groundwater licences, unless they are within a water protection area. All other users must always apply for licences.
The old law had also exempted livestock users.
Around 60% of all water used in Namibia is groundwater, according to the ministry.
The new law also establishes a water regulator, which is responsible for determining the fees and charges water providers may levy as well as the cost of licences for water abstraction and effluent discharge.
The so-called water tribunal acts as an appeals body to arbitrate conflicts between the ministry and licence holders and applicants.
A representative of Hyphen Hydrogen Energy urged the ministry to differentiate between commercial water licences for own use and commercial licences to provide water for third parties.
Other suggestions made by participants include the publishing of transitory plans for the measures to be implemented as well as the establishment of a digital portal where licence applicants can see the progress of their applications.
The application process may take between one and three months, a ministry representative said.
Concerns were raised about the ministry’s methods of determining what counts as potable water, particularly with regards to the indicators used, the threshold values and the point in the water chain where tests are being conducted.
The discrepancy between available laboratories in Namibia and the requirements for water analyses was also pointed out.
In response, the ministry announced that a separate consultation session with testing laboratories will be held to address these concerns.
The ministry’s deputy director of water basin management, Ndina Nashipili, announced that the ministry is working on a new Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) plan and is hoping to finalise it by the end of next year.
The IWRM plan currently in use is from 2010.
Nashipili also said she is looking for young talent to assist her in developing the plan.
The event was sponsored by Namibia Breweries Limited.
Consultation sessions for the other 13 regions are to follow early next year.
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