The government has proposed rules on the use of water resources. The new rules drawn by Water CS Sicily Kariuki seek to introduce various levies that water users will pay to the Water Resources Authority, popularly known as Warma.
The rules will set the stage for high water bills should MPs approve the bid. It will come into force upon ratification by MPs who have seized the matter through the Committee on Delegated Legislation.
โWhere the authority discovers that a permit holder, or a person who is required to have a water permit, has not paid water use charges, the authority may charge arrears,โ the rules read.
Permits
The cheapest permit would cost users Sh2,000 for activities deemed to be of low risk of impacting a water resource. Those likely to have the potential to make a significant impact on the water resource will attract Sh20,000 as permit fees being applicable for water companies.
Those whose activities have a significant impact will pay Sh40,000 while persons whose activities involve two water catchment areas will acquire permits at Sh80,000. The permits would apply across the board, including domestic households that have sunk boreholes in their respective residences.
โIn the event that the water abstracted exceeds the permitted amounts by over five per cent, the excess shall be charged at a penalty rate of Sh10 per cubic metre,โ the regulation says.
For those in groundwater conservation and protected areas, an additional 10% charge shall be added to the water use charges. Late payment for water use charges will attract a simple interest charge of 2% per month until the whole amount is paid in full.
โFailure to pay the appropriate water use charges is a breach of the conditions of a permit and may be a basis for the revocation or suspension of the permit.โ
Water use charges will be levied on the basis of the water abstracted, diverted, obstructed or used, including energy derived from a water resource. In addition to the water use charge, a levy amounting to five per cent of the monthly water use charge will be paid as a water conservation levy.
The new rules will apply to persons who construct a temporary abstraction for construction, divert water from its course, abstraction from surface water, and abstraction from a borehole or shallow well.
