One Week Left For Public Comments On Proposed Unconventional Gas Regulations

The Department of Water and Sanitation has offered a second round of public consultations and feedback on the proposed Unconventional Gas Regulations. Interested parties have one week left to submit written comments or provide feedback.

The regulations cover practices like fracking, coal bed methane, and underground coal gasification. Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina published Gazette Notice 51642 on Nov. 22 last year, giving key stakeholders and the public 30 days to share their views on the regulations.

Department spokesperson Wisane Mavasa on Wednesday explained that stakeholder engagements began in early December 2024 but were paused on Dec. 15 for the holiday season, SA News reported.

The new round of public consultations resumed on Jan. 6 and members of the public can now submit written comments or attend upcoming stakeholder engagement events to share their views. Interested parties have until Jan. 15, 2025, to submit written comments or participate in the engagement processes.

The Department of Water and Sanitation is responsible for creating regulations to control the use of water in the exploration and production of onshore natural hydrocarbons that need stimulation, like hydraulic fracturing and underground coal gasification, which is commonly known as "fracking."

This process involves drilling underground to extract gas. These activities were announced in Parliament but were found to have harmful effects on the environment due to the chemicals used during fracking.

Since the department is tasked with protecting and managing water resources, it developed regulations to oversee these activities. The regulations aim to manage fracking activities, as they could contaminate water resources, especially groundwater. The department created these regulations as required by the National Water Act.

Mavasa explained that the first notice was published on May 7, 2021, giving the public 60 days to submit written comments on the regulations. However, this period was extended by another 30 days due to requests from affected stakeholders.

After reviewing the comments and ensuring the regulations were aligned with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE), Mavasa said the department has decided to republish the notice for public feedback.

The interested parties are encouraged to send written submissions to unconventionalgas@dws.gov.za by Jan. 15.