Department of Water and Sanitation provincial head Rashid Khan says farmers caught unlawfully extracting water from the Berg River were issued with a written communication, warning them to cease sourcing from the river.
Khan spoke at a site visit to Misverstand Dam yesterday.
The department released about 5 million cubic metres of water from the Voëlvlei and Berg River dams to the Misverstand Dam last week, to supply municipalities on the West Coast with water for domestic, industrial and agricultural use over a 10-day period.
However, images surfaced last week allegedly showing illegal pumping of Berg River water and the use of sandbags to redirect water meant for domestic and industrial use into private dams for local farmers.
“We have no other way but to use the river, and anyone found sourcing from the released water illegally will be prosecuted.
"The farmers were given written communication that they must cease sourcing from the river, and law enforcement officials have been empowered to confiscate equipment, take down obstructions and remove pipes,” said Khan.
He said the co-operation between the department, local government and the municipalities was the first of its kind and had been a tremendous help.
The municipalities came on board to assist the department patrol the Berg River.
Trevor Balzer, the department’s deputy director-general, special projects, said the joint operation had 143km of riverbank to cover, and law enforcement was vital.
“We hope the water released will reach up to 2million cubic metres, but the bulk of that water is about 70km down the Berg River.
"There is hope that if all goes according to plan, and with good rains, we will reach just under 3million cubic metres,” said Balzer.
Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC Anton Bredell called on the public to keep reducing usage as far as possible.
“We are not out of the woods yet. This is a 5 billion litre release from the Berg River dam, and this may very well be the last release.
“We need to look at the network and protect it.
“At least we are expected to get some rain for a night, but we need at least two to three years of good rain to really get us out of the woods. We want to call on the public to continue to reduce demand.”