The Department of Water and Sanitation wants all dams in South Africa registered.
Registration will ensure the safety of dams and reduce risks to the public, property and water resources.
Pemmy Majodina, the Minister of Water and Sanitation, published a gazette notice calling for the registration of existing dams with a safety risk, as mandated by the National Water Act (Act No. 36 of 1998), along with Regulations 2, 3, and 37 of the Dam Safety Regulations (R 139 of 24 February 2012).
Owners of dams meeting criteria for the classification of a safety risk, must verify their status and if not yet registered, must submit the required forms to the Department of Water and Sanitation.
Wally Ramokopa, Head of Specialist Unit, Dam Safety Regulation within the Department, said “A dam with a safety risk has a storage capacity exceeding 50,000 m³ (50 megalitres) of water. This is whether the water contains other substances or not, and or have a vertical wall height of more than 5 meters, measured from the downstream base.”
The dam registration campaign, to be launched by the Department, will assist in maintaining an accurate database of ownership and safety compliance for effective regulation and risk management.
Dam owners are required to update their details if already registered and submit registration and classification forms if not yet registered.
The Department enforces compliance for dam owners to conduct safety inspections at least every five (5) years.
As a result, dam owners are required to arrange for the execution of a formal dam safety inspection by an Approved Professional Person (APP).
Forms are downloadable on this link: www.dws.gov.za/dso or can be collected from the nearest departmental offices.
For more information on dam registration contact: Specialist Unit: Dam Safety
Regulation at damsafety@dws.gov.za or Ms Mokgadi Modipane at 082 802 7092 or
Ms Makgano Tlaka at 083 412 2649
Picture: Gamtoos Water Board