This Act provides for the establishment of National Water Resources Management Agency as a body corporate, defines its functions and powers of the Agency, provides with respect to management of National Water Basins and Water Catchment Area Management Committees, and provides rule for water use and permit procedures. The Act also establishes the National Water Resources Management Fund. The Act declares property in and control of all water resources to be vested in the Government and people of Sierra Leone.
The National Water Resources Management Agency shall be responsible to ensure that the water resources of the country are controlled in a sustainable and gender sensitive manner. It shall regulate, utilize, protect, develop, conserve, control and generally manage water resources throughout Sierra Leone. In doing so, it shall take into account, among other things, natural river basin and aquifer boundaries as the basic units of management of water resources, the polluter-pays principle, existing customary rights, promoting the efficient and beneficial use of water resources in the public interest, and community participation and gender equity in the allocation of water resources. Waterworks and water abstraction shall be carried out in accordance with this Act. A person may continue with an existing lawful water use, including customary use, in accordance with the exempted water use section of this Act. The Water Resources Management Fund shall be applied only for the purposes of the approved budget of the Agency.
The Agency may, for the purpose of efficient water management declare any area to be a National Water Basin. There shall be, in respect of each National Water Basin a Water Basin Management Board, which shall, subject to the overall supervision and direction of the Agency, be responsible for the management of the Basin. A Board may, in consultation with the Agency and relevant local authorities, establish Water Catchment Area Management Committees for the sustainable management of water catchments within the Basin. The Agency may also, for the purpose of efficient water management declare any area to be a Protected Water Catchment Area. There shall be, in respect of each protected catchment area within a Water Basin, a water catchment area management Committee established by the Water Basin Management Board in consultation with the Agency and relevant local authorities.
No person shall abstract raw water by mechanical means except on a permit issued by the Agency for that purpose. Certain uses may be exempted by the Minister from this requirement. A permit issued and an exemption given by the Minister under section 28 shall be registered by the Agency in the Catchment, Basin or National Water Register as the case may be. Disputes over water rights shall be referred to a Committee set up by the Agency, in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency, traditional authorities of the community and relevant government institutions and agencies. The Agency shall establish and maintain national, basin and catchment water resources monitoring and information systems for specified purposes. The Minister may, upon the recommendations of the Agency, by statutory instrument make Regulations for purposes specified in this Act. Water may be used for subsistence fishing to the extent that such use is not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act or any other existing law.