Muringato basin abstraction survey consultancy with DeKUTES

Project details:

Due to the ravaging climate change and receding surface water resources, many people have abstracted water from streams for sustenance. Many abstractions are illegal and do not comply with water acts set within their jurisdiction, affecting the quality and quantity of many rivers globally. The Muringato river catchment faces these challenges that necessitated an abstraction survey to establish the level of compliance of the water users within the sub-catchment under section 36 of the Water Act (2016) required to obtain water permits. The survey characterised all known water abstraction, impoundment and diversion points within the catchment using abstraction survey tools developed by Water Resource Authority (WRA) in December 2021. Under the guidance of the Muringato Water Resource User Association (WRUA), 29 groundwater and 64 surface water abstraction points were collected. The abstraction methods included furrows, hydram, electric water pumps, and weirs. The survey established that only 8% of the abstractors had permits and authorisation from WRA. It was, however, impossible to establish whether the authorised abstractors adhered to the set volumes of abstraction due to faulty meter gauges and a lack of set standards for the conditions of monitoring and storage.