Permit to use water from a self-dug water well

/in /by

Because of shortage of clean water in the suburb where I am living, I decided to dig my own water well in order to get clean water for domestic consumption. the health officer from the local government authority is harassing me that I am supposed to obtain a certificate of water quality test for me to be allowed to use water fetched from my own water well. Does the law demand a water well owner to obtain such a certificate of water quality before using water from self-dug well for human consumption? Please guide.
AJ, Chalinze

There are two legislation that govern construction and use of water well, the Water Resources Management Act, 2009 and the Water Resources Management (Water Well Quality Monitoring) Regulations, 2018. Section 11(3) of the Act, exempts a shallow water well owner from the requirement to obtain a ground water use permit if water fetched from the well is intended for family consumption and the depth of the water well does not exceed 15 meters.

While a shallow water well owner is exempted from the obligation to obtain underground water use permit, regulation 5 of the Regulations imposes an obligation on the shallow water well owner to obtain a certificate of water quality test before using or permitting others to use water from a self-dug water well. This is to ensure the safety of the water that you consume.

The permission to use water from a self-dug water well for human consumption is given after a water quality test has been conducted on the water sampled from the well and the relevant local government authority or water board for the area is satisfied that water from the self-dug well is fit for human consumption. Water quality test is meant to determine the toxic chemicals in the water that might be harmful to the human body. Using water or causing the use of water from a self-dug well before conducting water quality test is an offence attracting a fine of not less than TZS 500,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months. We strongly recommend you to comply.