Residents to register their boreholes

Kouga Municipality is updating its information about boreholes situated on private land.

“We would like to appeal to all property owners with boreholes on their land to register them with the municipality,” said Executive Mayor Elza van Lingen.

“Our region is struggling through a severe drought and this information is necessary for our planning to ensure all our communities have water,” she said.

She said property owners were legally required to register their boreholes with the municipality.

The requirements are set out in Clause 141 of the National Water Act (Act No.36 of 1998) and Clause 48 of Kouga Municipality’s Water Supply and Sanitation Services Bylaw.

According to the bylaw, all property owners with boreholes are required to provide the following information to the municipality on the prescribed form:

• Full name and surname
• Municipal account number
• Physical address and name of owner of the borehole
• Coordinates of the borehole
• Yield of the borehole(if known)
• Depth of borehole
• Casing depth and casing material
• Depth of water level
• Name of borehole driller and drilling log

It is also a requirement that property owners install water meters and keep records of water usage on a monthly basis.

Van Lingen said that those property owners who had not yet done so would be given grace till 30 June 2018 to register their boreholes.

The information provided must be submitted be to Eddie Oosthuizen at the Infrastructure and Engineering Directorate or be sent via email to eddieo@kouga.gov.za.

A borehole number must also be obtained from Dane Von Berg of the Department of Water and Sanitation. He can be contacted on 041 501 0739 or via email at vonbergd@dws.gov.za.