Ever-increasing pressure on water resources is leading to a greater focus on sustainable engineering detail in proposed water-related structures – a global trend now reflected locally in new water-use licence application (WULA) requirements.
There is a substantial shift in world best practice related to the comprehensive integration of engineering aspects with environment, social and governance (ESG) issues and financial sustainability in all projects,” says Jacky Burke, principal scientist at SRK Consulting.
“This shift – which SRK has already made – is driven from the levels of the UN and various participating entities across the globe, such as the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD),” she continues.
Aligned with global best practice in ESG and sustainability, in facilitating the efficient use of water and to minimise pollution, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has issued in-depth engineering specifications that are now required as part of a WULA. SRK has been anticipating this changed approach.
Burke highlights that far more detail is now required for the engineering designs
that support WULAs, before the DWS will consider the submitted application. The
WULA submission will now have to include a proof of concept, design and drawings
to the required level, and a construction quality assurance (CQA) plan.
She notes that the WULA process has been regulated since 2017, when Government Notice R267 set out the procedural requirements for WULAs and appeals.
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