2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires— Interpretation “ abstraction ” means the removal of water from any water resource, whether temporarily or permanently, and 272 No. 21 of 2011] Water Resources Management “ abstract ” shall be construed accordingly; “ agricultural purposes ” means the use of water for commercial— (a) irrigation; (b) fishing; or (c) livestock husbandry; “ allocation ” means the quantity of water set aside for a specific purpose or that which the permit holder is entitled to take or use for a particular purpose as specified in the permit, and “allocate” or “allocated” shall be construed accordingly; “ appointed date ” means the date appointed by the Minister under section one; “ appropriate authority ” means the Minister for the time being having responsibility for, or such public or statutory officer or body having powers under any other law over, any natural resource situated in, or other activity in, a catchment or sub-catchment and includes a public or statutory officer, body or institution under the following— (a) the Zambia Wildlife Act, 1998; (b) the Environmental Management Act, 2011; (c) the Water Supply and Sanitation Act, 1997; (d) the National Heritage Conservation Commission Act; (e) the Lands Act; (f) the Lands and Deeds Registry Act; (g) the Mines and Minerals Development Act, 2008; (h) the Fisheries Act, 2011; (i) the Forests Act; (j) the Inland Water Shipping Act; (k) the Town and Country Planning Act; (l) the Public Health Act; (m) the Standards Act; (n) the Local Government Act; (o) the Disaster Management Act, 2010; (p) the Citizens Economic Empowerment Act, 2006; (q) the Zambia Development Agency Act, 2006; (r) the Public Private Partnership Act, 2009; Act No 12 of 1998 Act No. 12 of 2011 Act No. 28 of 1997 Cap. 173 Cap. 184 Cap. 185 Act No. 7 of 2008 Act No. 22 of 2011 Cap. 199 Cap. 466 Cap. 283 Cap. 295 Cap 416 Cap. 281 Act No. 13 of 2010 Act No. 9 of 2006 Act No. 11 of 2006 Act No. 14 of 2009 Water Resources Management [No. 21 of 2011 273 (s) the Tourism and Hospitality Act, 2010; (t) the Energy Regulation Act; and (u) any treaty, agreement or convention, to which Zambia is a State Party, relating to the management of a shared water resource; “ aquifer ” means any geological formation which absorbs, stores and transmits ground water; Act No. of 2010 Cap. 436 “ arbitration ” means the resolution of disputes or conflicts under this Act or in accordance with the Arbitration Act, 2000; Act No. 19 of 2000 “ Authority ” means the Water Resources Management Authority established under section seven; “ biodiversity ” means the variability among living organisms from all sources, including genetically modified organisms, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are a part of; “ Board ” means the Board of the Authority constituted under section eleven; “ borehole ” includes an excavation or any artificially constructed or improved underground cavity, as may be prescribed, which can be used for — (a) intercepting, collecting or storing water in, or removing water from, an aquifer; (b) observing and collating data and information on water in an aquifer; or (c) recharging an aquifer; but does not include a well; “ brackish ” means salty; “ catchment ” means a geographical area which naturally drains into a water resource and from which the water resource receives surface or ground flow that originates from rainfall; “ catchment council ” means a catchment council constituted under section seventeen; “ catchment manager ” means a person appointed as a catchment manager under section twenty-one; “ Chairperson ” means the person appointed as Chairperson of the Board under section eleven; “ charges ” include levies and tariffs; 274 No. 21 of 2011] Water Resources Management “ climatic ” means amounts of seasonal precipitation and evapo-transpiration contributing to the water balance and water resource flow; “ climate change ” means weather changes such as heat waves, extreme weather, temperature and precipitation with its modulating influences such as microbial contamination pathways, transmission dynamics, agro-ecosystems, hydrology, socio-economic and demographic factors and their resultant effects on the water resources and human health and wellbeing; “ commercial livestock husbandry ” means the use of water for the sustenance and support of livestock which are not kept only for the subsistence needs of a household; “ commercial fishing ” means the catching of fish in bulk for sale or in order to realise a profit, and includes aquaculture; “ commercial irrigation ” means the use of water for farming that exceeds the number of cubic meters a day as prescribed; “ committee ” means a committee of the Board established under section twelve; “ conservancy authority ” means any person or institution who, either voluntarily or under the authority of any law, manages, conserves, preserves, maintains or protects the environment; “ constructor ” means any person or institution licensed by the Board to construct waterworks under section eighty- eight; “ customary area ” means the area described as such in the Schedules to the Zambia (State Lands and Reserves) Orders, 1928 to 1964 and the Zambia (Trust Lands) Orders, 1947 to 1964, as specified under the Lands Act; “ Director ” means the person appointed as such under section twenty-seven; “ Director-General” means the person appointed as such under section fifteen; “ district council ” includes a city council and municipal council; “ domestic or non-commercial purposes ” means the household use of water for— (a) drinking, cooking, washing, bathing or sanitation; (b) subsistence gardening and support of livestock not being commercial livestock husbandry; Cap. 184 Water Resources Management [No. 21 of 2011 275 (c) subsistence fishing; (d) the making of bricks for the private use of the occupier; (e) the dipping of livestock not being commercial livestock husbandry; or (f) firefighting; for which no permit is required for the use of that water under this Act; “ driller ” means any person or institution licensed by the Board to drill boreholes under section eighty-eight; “ easement ” means the right, under a permit, to enter, use and occupy so much of the land of another person as may be necessary for, or incidental to, the construction or maintenance of waterworks authorised under this Act or the exercise or enjoyment of any entitlement conferred by a permit; “ ecological ” means an amount of seasonal water needed for environmental and ecosystem maintenance and sustainability, including the quantities and carrying capacities of ecosystems; “ ecosystem ” means the biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment; “ effluent ” means waste water or fluid of domestic, agricultural, trade, industrial or other origin, treated or untreated and discharged, directly or indirectly, into the aquatic environment; “ engineer ” means an engineer approved by the Board under section ninety; “ Environmental Agency ” means the Agency established under the Environmental Management Act, 2011; “ environmental flow ” means the water provided within a water resource to maintain ecosystems and their benefits where there are competing users and where flows are regulated by means of waterworks or management instruments; “ environmental purposes ” means the use of water for the preservation and maintenance of the ecosystem; “ equitable ” means fair, reasonable and just; “ existing right ” means an entitlement to use water granted under the repealed Act or any permit to discharge effluent granted under any other law; “ Fund ” means the Water Development Trust Fund established under section one hundred and fifty-five; Act No.12 of 2011 Cap. 198 276 No. 21 of 2011] Water Resources Management “ gender ” means female or male and the role individuals play in society as a result of their sex and status; “ geographic ” means the relative position and size of an area in terms of a catchment; “ ground water ” means any water resource found under the surface of the ground; “ HIV and AIDS ” means the human immunodeficiency virus and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; “ hydroelectric purposes ” means the use of water for the production of electricity; “ hydrographic ” means the measured seasonal quantities and quality of water available in a water resource in terms of water levels and streams contributing to the water level, sedimentation and chemical quality; “ hydrologic ” means the seasonal quantities of water resources available in a water resource in terms of river flow, underground flow and surface runoff; “ hydrological ” means all the elements relating to the properties, occurrence and movement of water; “ hydrological cycle ” means the complete cycle of phenomena through which water passes from the atmosphere to the earth and back to the atmosphere; “ hydrological station ” means a place where measurements and observations of the flow, level or other parameter of any surface or ground water are taken, made or recorded; “ industrial purposes ” includes the use of water for manufacturing or commercial activities, processing, construction, fabrication, quarrying, smelting, mechanical or slaughtering; “ licence ” means a licence granted to a constructor or driller under section eighty-eight; “ licensee ” means a person holding a licence granted under this Act; “ livestock ” has the meaning assigned to it in the Animal Health Act, 2010; “ local authority ” means a city council, municipal council or district council as established under the Local Government Act; “ management ” in relation to a water resource includes— (a) planning the sustainable development of the water resource and providing for the implementation of any catchment management plan and national water resources strategy and plan; and Act No. of 27 2010 Cap. 281 Water Resources Management [No. 21 of 2011 277 Act No. 7 of 2008 Act No. 28 of 1997 Act No. 7 of 2008 (b) promoting the rational and optimal utilisation, protection, conservation and control of the water resource; “ member ” means a member of the Board; “ mining ” has the meaning assigned to it in the Mines and Minerals Development Act, 2008; “ mining operations ” means operations carried out in the course of mining; “ mining purposes ” means the use of water for mining operations; “ municipal purposes ” means the supply of water and sanitation services in accordance with the Water Supply and Sanitation Act, 1997; “ national water resources strategy and plan ” means a strategy formulated by the Authority under section thirty- one; “ navigational purposes ” means the use of water for sailing, transport, hunting, recreational fishing, recreation or tourism; “ occupier ” in relation to land, means— (a) a statutory leaseholder, sub-lease and under-lease holder and any other person having a legal or contractual right to land or to the administration of land; (b) any person who, by any established right, custom or estate is, or is entitled to be, the holder or possessor of land; or (c) any person to whom a mining licence or mining location has been granted under the Mines and Minerals Development Act, 2008; “ permit ” means an authorisation for the right to use of water for the purposes specified in this Act, for the construction of any water works or for the sinking, altering or deepening of any borehole in a water shortage area; “ permit holder ” means a person holding a permit granted under this Act; “ pollution ” in relation to water, means— (a) any direct or indirect contamination or alteration of the biological, chemical or physical properties of water, including changes in colour, odour, taste, temperature or turbidity; or (b) any discharge of any gaseous, liquid, solid or other substance into any water resource; 278 No. 21 of 2011] Water Resources Management as will, or is likely to, create a nuisance or render the water detrimental, harmful or injurious to, or potentially harmful or injurious to, the health, safety or welfare of any human being, bird, fish or other aquatic ecosystem, livestock, wildlife or the environment; Cap. 198 “ recreational fishing ” means the catching of fish for amusement or as a sporting activity; “ repealed Act ” means the Water Act; “ reserve ” in relation to a water resource, means the quantity and quality of water required to— (a) satisfy basic human needs of all the people who are, or may be, supplied from the water resource; and (b) protect aquatic ecosystems in order to secure ecologically sustainable development and use of the water resource; “ resource quality ” means the quality of all aspects of a water resource including the— (a) water quality stipulated for the reserve; (b) quantity, pattern, timing, water level and assurance of environmental flow; (c) physical, chemical and biological characteristics of the water; (d) character and condition of the instream and riparian habitat; and (e) characteristics, condition and distribution of the aquatic life; “ resource quality objectives ” means the level to be achieved and maintained in each aspect of the resource quality for the water resource; “ riparian habitat ” includes the physical structure and associated areas of a water resource which are commonly characterised by alluvial soils and inundated or flooded to an extent, and with a frequency, sufficient to support vegetation of species with a composition and physical structure distinct from those of adjacent land areas; “ riparian land ” means any land on, or along the boundary of the whole or any portion of, which a water resource exists; “ shared watercourse ” means a water resource that forms, or is bisected by, an international border between Zambia and another State or among States including Zambia; Water Resources Management [No. 21 of 2011 279 “ sub-catchment council ” means a sub-catchment council constituted under section nineteen; “ subsistence ” means that which is necessary for the sustenance of life or any activity undertaken to provide for the needs of a household; “ subsistence fishing ” means the catching of fish for sustenance; “ supply of water in bulk ” means a supply of water for distribution to the public by, or on behalf of, any person or utility; “ surface water ” means all water found on or below the bed of a water resource and includes water in storage works, drainage works or permanent pools; “ sustainable ”, in relation to water, means the human use of a water resource so that it may yield the greatest continuous benefit to the present generations while maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of future generations; “ traditional authority ” means a Chief who has been recognised under the Chiefs Act; Cap. 287 “ training and research purposes ” means the use of water for education, skills training and scientific and technological research; “ use ” means an entitlement limited to the beneficial, reasonable and equitable use of water for the purposes and up to the limit prescribed or specified by a permit and includes— (a) abstraction, obstruction or diversion of water; (b) storing water; (c) discharge of materials or substances into water; (d) dewatering of a mine, quarry or any land; (e) altering the bed, banks, course or characteristics of a water resource; or (f) any prescribed activity of a kind relating to water; but does not include a guarantee as to the availability of water; “ utility ” means any person who supplies water in bulk; “ Vice-Chairperson ” means the person appointed as Vice- Chairperson of the Board under section eleven; “ waste water ” means water which has been used for domestic, commercial, agricultural, trading, mining or industrial purposes or other purposes and as a result of such uses may or may not cause water pollution when discharged into the aquatic environment; 280 No. 21 of 2011] Water Resources Management “ water ” means water in its natural state, including— (a) surface water; (b) water which rises naturally on any land or drains or falls naturally on to any land, even if it does not visibly join any watercourse; or (c) ground water; “ Water Board ” means the Board established under the repealed Act; “ watercourse ” means a system of surface waters and ground waters constituting, by virtue of their physical relationship, a unitary whole and normally flowing into a common terminus; “ water resource ” includes water, any river, spring, hotspring, pan, lake, pond, swamp, marsh, stream, watercourse, estuary, aquifer, artesian basin or other body of naturally flowing or standing water; “ Water resource protection area ” means a catchment, sub- catchment or geographic area that is declared, by the Minister, as a water resource protection area under section twenty-nine; “ water shortage area ” means an area declared, by the Minister, under section fifty, to be a water shortage area; “ water storage works ” includes a dam, reservoir, barrage, weir or any facility for storing water, exceeding the volume prescribed, for periods of time, but does not include a borehole; “ water resources protection area ” means a catchment, sub- catchment or geographic area that is declared, by the Minister, as a water resource protection area under section twenty-nine; “ water users association ” means an association constituted under section twenty four; “ water works ” means— (a) a canal, channel, embankment, filter, filterbed, pipeline, pumping plant, purification plant, plant for the generation of hydroelectric power or water storage works; (b) any accessory, apparatus, appliance, fitting, machinery or other thing constructed, erected or used for, or in connection with, the abstraction, control, diversion, drainage, filtration, passage, purification, storage, supply or use of water including effluent or waste water, conservation of rain water or the development of water power; or Water Resources Management [No. 21 of 2011 281 (c) any gauge post, measuring weir or other appliance erected or used for undertakings authorised by, or under, this Act; and includes any area around any hydraulic structure or water works, necessary for their use, operation, maintenance and protection; and “ Zambia Bureau of Standards ” means the Bureau of Standards established under the Standards Act.