Service Contract No 2007 / 147-446 Strategic ... - Swaziland

5.8 Key aspect 7: Regulation of effluentdischarges (Low Priority)5.8.1 Current stateThe Water Act (2003) establishes the bases for the regulation of water polluting activities(Part VIII on Control of Pollution), based on the use of Effluent Control Permits. Applicationfor effluent control permits is done through the Water Apportionment Board, but thesefunctions are now to be taken over by the River Basin Authorities.Sugar mills are legally obliged to be in possession of an effluent control permit, as theyundertake industrial processes. At the moment effluent control permits are being issued bythe Dept of Water Affairs on behalf of the RBAs, whilst the RBAs become fully functional andassume greater management and control of water in their basin.Both sugar companies seem to have maximised reuse of water within their factoryoperations, however, there is still some that enters the environment.RSSCs mill in Mhlume has an anaerobic and aerobic digestion systems, combined withwetlands and use the final (treated) effluent for irrigation in their estate; in the future theMhlume mill will increase the area of reuse of the final effluent used for irrigation of sugarcane fields, and is aiming for zero discharge (i.e. 100% reuse). In the case of the Simunyemill, a series of anaerobic and aerobic ponds are in place as well as a constructed wetland.Ubombo Sugar also has waste water treatment systems in place, and uses all of the(treated) effluent for irrigation in the sugar cane fields.Currently there are allegedly no major concerns with regards to water pollution from sugarmill effluent discharges, but risks of spillage from broken treatment systems are alwayspresent.Figure 24:Sugar mill effluent and treatmentUnder the Water Pollution Control Regulations (2010), anyone that discharges or permits thedischarge of effluent “directly or indirectly” into a water body, must comply with the EffluentStandards (defined in Schedule 2 of the Regulations). Sugar mills thus have an obligation toregularly sample and test their effluent discharges for all regulated parameters andsubstances the first time they do the testing and then annually, and on a monthly basis onlyfor those parameters and substances known to be in the effluent. Records must be kept,RDMU (Strategic Environmental Assessment of the National Adaptation Strategy) - Page 97