The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) will embark on additional and more extensive stakeholder and public consultation and engagement on its proposed Draft Regulations for the Management and Control of Government Waterworks and Surrounding State-Owned Land.

The DWS reported extensive public participation and constructive inputs during the public consultation period that closed on April 15, which it is currently working through.

“Among the concerns raised by stakeholders are the impact on existing general access for visitors, provisions relating to the development and implementation of Resource Management Plans, and the rights of private landowners where the department has servitude of storage to impound the water of the dams, and the provisions in the draft regulations related to gill nets,” the department said in a statement issued on Thursday.

In line with the comments and inputs received, the DWS expects substantial amendments to the regulations and that a further round of public consultation will be required.

The DWS will review the draft regulations to ensure clear, practical regulations to enable continued safe activities on departmental dams, while supporting and growing tourism, hospitality and economic activities in and around its dams and on the land that it owns and controls.

As the process unfolds, the DWS is suspending the approved Resource Management Plans already in place or in the process of being implemented, including for the Vaal dam.

The plans will be reviewed once the regulations have been finalised to ensure alignment with the updated departmental Land Lease Policy governing State land under its control and these regulations.

The role, scope, and application of Resource Management Plans will also be addressed in the review of the draft regulations.

The DWS has also received substantial public comment regarding the authorisation and use of gill nets within governmental waterworks.

“Following consideration of stakeholder concerns and the potential environmental and safety implications associated with gill net use, the department intends to prohibit the use of gill nets in the next revised draft of the regulations and provisions will be subject to the next round of consultations.”

The DWS will undertake additional and more comprehensive stakeholder engagement informed by the additional registered stakeholders during the next phase of consultations to ensure that all interested and affected parties have a meaningful opportunity to contribute to the finalisation of the regulations.

The purpose of any consultation process is to ensure that stakeholder concerns, recommendations, and technical inputs are carefully considered before regulations are finalised.

Once the department is in a position to publish the revised draft regulations a media statement will be published on dates and venues of consultations.