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10.18 Some water control systems in NatallKwaZulu*
Various categories of Government water control systems are described below. Mountain
catchment areas (as opposed to catchment control areas), are examined in the chapter on
catchments. Water boards in NatallKwaZulu are then considered. A brief discussion of
irrigation districts and boards in Natal concludes the present section.
10.18.1 Government water control areas
Government water control areas are declared by the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry
in order to protect public water sources against over-exploitation, and to ensure that all
water users within the control areas receive their rightful share of the available water.
Areas of existing irrigated land and of potentially irrigable land must first be determined.
The Minister (and not the Water Court), then apportions water through water rights and
also regulates the abstraction and utilization of water in the control areas (in terms of
Section 52 of the Water Act No. 54 of 1956). Aggrieved persons or agencies may apply
to the Water Court if concensus cannot be reached on water rights, or the volume of
water granted to a particular riparian owner. If an owner is found to be irrigating in excess
of his right, that owner will have to reduce consumption or create storage, thereby
irrigating the excess area with the surplus water. If surplus water is available (without
storage), the owner may be given temporary permission to irrigate (in terms of Section
56(3) of the Water Actl. There are three main types of Government water control areas,
namely, river control areas, catchment control areas and subterranean water control
areas··.
River control areas are established primarily to control water allocations to riparian owners
downstream of Government dams, and to regulate the abstraction of water. Catchment
control areas are demarcatedto control the abstraction of water within the catchments of
*
**
Discussion after the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, Durban, 1993.
Two other Government water control areas concern firstly, drainage control areas, which are areas
with a high water table requiring special drainage measures Inane in Natal/KwaZulu), and secondly,
dam basin control areas. The purpose of dam basin control areas is to reserve the storage basins of
future (Government) dam sites, in order to prevent development or interference with the proposed
(or envisaged) waterworks. There are no dam basin control areas in Natal/KwaZulu. It should be
noted that in terms of Section 68(1) of the Act, the Minister may appoint an advisory committee for
any Government waterwork, Govenvnent water control area, catchment control area, subterranean
water control area and drainage control area, or any other catchment area/so