President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has today ratified the Water and Sewerage Act (Act no. 8/2020). The Act was passed by the Parliament at the 21st sitting of its second session, on 20th July 2020.
The Water and Sewerage Act ensures the delivery of safe and clean water to all persons in the country. The Act stipulates the guidelines and procedures for the protection of water resources, and to enable the establishment of a suitable water sewerage network for all inhabited islands, along with other relevant guidelines.
Upon coming into force, the Act entrusts each island council to levy charges on water and sewerage services.
The Act also mandates the use of modern technology to seek the most environment friendly means of providing water and sewerage services, stipulating that renewable energy must be utilised in the production of water. The Act prohibits levying of additional charges for services beyond those indexed within its guidelines.
The Act further mandates all guidelines under the Act to be published in the Government’s gazette within 6 months of its ratification.
Upon ratification the Act has been published in the Government’s gazette and takes immediate effect.