Water Resource Rehabilitation: Draft Management Guidelines Published

Posted 10 September 2025 Written by Acts Online
Category Water & Sanitation

Brought to you by SA Legal Academy: The Department of Water & Sanitation (DWS) has published a suite of draft guidelines for water resource-specific rehabilitation management, alongside an overarching framework for their practical application.

In alignment with the regulatory objectives of the National Water Act, No. 36 of 1998, the DWS has called for public input by 29 October 2025 on these technical documents. The guidelines, which have been under development since 2020, are intended to provide a standardised, step-by-step approach to rehabilitation measures and interventions for all water users.

The draft framework consists of five resource-specific management guidelines and an overarching “guidelines in practice” document. This suite of documents is designed to assist stakeholders in applying rehabilitation measures in real-world scenarios, covering a broad spectrum of users including:

  • National, provincial, and local government authorities;
  • State-owned entities and water management institutions;
  • Private sector industries, specifically those with significant water footprints; and
  • Civil society organisations involved in environmental protection.

The resource-specific drafts detail the technical interventions available to water users to remediate degraded water resources. Once finalised, the overarching “guidelines in practice” document will serve as the primary manual for the implementation of these measures across various sectors.

What this means for you, your business, or your clients

  • For yourself: No direct individual obligations; impact is channelled through professional advisory roles regarding environmental compliance and water law.
  • For your business: Firms operating in the environmental or engineering consultancy sectors should review the proposed step-by-step measures to ensure their technical service offerings align with the DWS’s proposed rehabilitation standards.
  • For your clients: Clients in the mining, industrial, and agricultural sectors must evaluate the draft guidelines to anticipate potential changes to rehabilitation requirements in their Water Use Licences (WULs) and associated financial provision obligations.

Originally published at https://legalacademy.co.za/news/read/water-resource-rehabilitation-management-draft-guidelines-out-for-comment

The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Acts Online. Acts Online accepts no responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the article, nor does the information contained herein constitute advice, legal or otherwise.