Agriculture & Trade

Water Use Permit Tanzania: Basin Boards, Boreholes, Fees and Penalties

Cover: water use permit in Tanzania for farms, irrigation, livestock, fish farms and factories
How the Basin Water Boards license water for irrigation, livestock, aquaculture and processing, and what it costs to get it wrong.
Direct answer

Who needs a water use permit in Tanzania? On the Mainland, anyone who diverts, dams, stores, abstracts or uses surface or groundwater beyond domestic use needs a permit from the Basin Water Board under the Water Resources Management Act, Cap. 331 R.E. 2023. Farms, ranches, fish farms and factories all apply. Boreholes also need a groundwater permit and a licensed driller. Zanzibar follows its own law through ZAWA.

This guide explains the water use permit Tanzania requires of farms, ranches, fish farms, agro-processors and factories. Every litre taken from a river, lake, spring, dam or borehole for a business purpose sits inside a permit system run by nine Basin Water Boards. A land title, a business licence or an EIA certificate does not cover it. The permit is a separate instrument with its own fees, conditions and annual charges.

It is for investors planning irrigation, livestock watering, ponds or a processing plant, and for operators who have abstracted for years without paperwork. Effluent is covered in our guide to factory waste and effluent permits, so discharge is kept brief here.

What is a water use permit in Tanzania?

A water use permit is the Basin Water Board's written grant of a right to take a stated quantity of water from a named source, for a named purpose, for a set period. All water in Mainland Tanzania is vested in the state. The permit is how a private user gets a lawful share of it.

The board may grant a temporary or a final permit, and sets the duration by reference to the purpose and the investment the holder needs to recover. Under section 47 a grant is no guarantee of quantity or quality.

Three related instruments sit beside it: a groundwater permit for a well or borehole, a discharge permit for effluent, and the drilling contractor's licence. A farm or factory may need all four.

What the law says

The governing statute is the Water Resources Management Act, Cap. 331 R.E. 2023. It was enacted as Act No. 11 of 2009 and amended by Act No. 8 of 2022. Its own text says it applies to Mainland Tanzania. We read the R.E. 2023 text in the VK Advocates library copy and cite its numbering below.

Section (R.E. 2023)What it does
s.11Allows domestic use from a lawful watercourse, and a shallow hand-dug well for domestic use, without a permit.
s.22 and s.23Establish a Basin Water Board for each basin and set its powers.
s.43Requires a water use permit to divert, dam, store, abstract or use water.
s.44 and s.45Offences of using water contrary to a permit, or without one.
s.46 and s.71Grant of permits, temporary permits, trading with consent, and duration.
s.52 to s.54Existing unregistered uses, customary rights and group applications.
s.55 to s.63Groundwater permits, driller records, sealing unused wells and licensing of drilling.
s.64 and s.65Discharge permits and the pollution offence.
s.76Applications follow the form and procedure the Minister prescribes.
s.97Basin Water Boards may set abstraction, discharge and permit charges by Gazette notice.

Four sets of regulations carry the detail. The Water Resources Management (Water Abstraction, Use and Discharge) Regulations, GN 190 of 2010 set the forms, notices and decision period. The Groundwater (Exploration and Drilling) Licensing Regulations, GN 219 of 2013 license drillers. The Water Resources Management (Fees Setting) Regulations, GN 825 of 2019 govern charges. The Transfer of Water Use, Discharge and Groundwater Permits Regulations, GN 157 of 2018 govern sales and transfers.

Who is affected

Anyone taking water beyond household use needs a permit, including:

The household exemption is narrow. Regulation 20 of GN 190 of 2010 limits it to a hand-dug domestic well up to 15 metres deep and rainwater storage up to 20,000 litres. Anyone above these limits must notify the board and apply.

Section 52 gave long-standing users a fee-free window to apply after commencement, and section 53 protects customary rights a board has recorded. An undocumented user today should treat the position as unpermitted and apply.

Which Basin Water Board handles your application?

The board for the basin where the source sits decides, not the board nearest your office. The Ministry of Water's Annual Water Sector Status Report 2025 lists the nine basins.

BasinTypical farming and processing areas (indicative)
PanganiKilimanjaro, Arusha highlands, Tanga coffee, sisal and horticulture
Wami/RuvuMorogoro, Pwani and Dar es Salaam industry and sugar
RufijiUsangu plains rice, Kilombero sugar, Iringa and Mbeya highlands
Ruvuma and Southern CoastRuvuma, Mtwara and Lindi cashew and coastal estates
Lake NyasaNjombe and the Nyasa catchment
Lake RukwaRukwa and Songwe plains
Lake TanganyikaKigoma, Katavi and western catchments
Lake VictoriaMwanza, Mara, Kagera, Shinyanga and Simiyu
Internal Drainage BasinManyara, Eyasi and central Singida and Dodoma catchments

Basin boundaries follow catchments, not regional borders, so a district can straddle two basins. Confirm the board from the coordinates of your intake before filing.

How do you apply for a water use permit?

The legal route is set by section 76 and GN 190 of 2010. Applications go on Form A for water use, Form B for discharge and Form C for a well or borehole. GN 190 asks for the forms in quintuplicate, one application per water body, with a sketch map of the intake and return points. The Water User Information Management System (WUMIS) was declared ready for online applications at all nine boards in 2022, according to the GIZ-run NatuReS programme. Ask your board whether it takes online filings.

The Pangani Basin Water Board's guidance shows the practice. The applicant writes through the village chairperson and any Water Users Association. The board registers the file and consults the district and major users. It may require a hydrological study for a surface source, and an EIA where the project needs one.

StageWho actsTime limitSource
Application lodged with feeApplicantBefore any works or abstractionCap. 331 s.43
Gazette notice, district notices, service on affected usersBasin Water OfficerOn receiptGN 190 of 2010 reg. 3(1)
Comments from district, committees and objectorsConsultees and the public40 days from the Gazette noticeGN 190 of 2010 reg. 3(2)
Decision with reasons for refusal or conditionsBasin Water BoardWithin 4 months of receiptGN 190 of 2010 reg. 9
Borehole completed under the permitApplicant and drillerUp to 3 months from grant, extendable by up to 2 monthsGN 190 of 2010 reg. 10
Notice of appealApplicant or objector30 days from notification of the decisionGN 190 of 2010 reg. 23
Transfer of a permit on saleBasin Water Board30 days to decide; 21 days for reasons on refusalGN 157 of 2018 reg. 5

Plan on the full four months. Gazette scheduling, board meetings and requests for further studies often use the whole period.

What does a water use permit cost?

There are two kinds of charge. The first is a one-off application or processing charge. The second is the recurring water user charge billed on the volume you are permitted or measured to take. Both are set under section 97 and GN 825 of 2019, and both are paid against a GePG control number.

Register IDChargeAmount or basis
F0522Water use (abstraction), discharge and related feesSet per basin by a revenue-requirement formula (unit price times volume). Flat rate below and volumetric above thresholds: domestic and hotels under 15,768 m3 a year, community water supply under 31,536 m3 a year.
F0523Late payment, non-payment and meter tampering5% of the outstanding billed amount for every month of delay. Non-payment fine TZS 300,000 to 1,000,000 or 3 months to 1 year imprisonment, plus 5% a month while it continues. Meter tampering fine not less than TZS 100,000 or up to 6 months.
Not in registerApplication fee, hydrological study, permit transfer feeAssessed by the Basin Water Board on filing.
Not in registerDrilling, exploration and driller licence fees (GN 219 of 2013, Fifth Schedule, in USD)Assessed by the Director of Water Resources on filing.
NEW-05-26Registration of a commercial or community borehole operator in a licensed water supply areaSet by the licensee, not exceeding TZS 200,000, non-refundable; groundwater permit also required.

The IDs refer to Zatra's government fee register, stated at 26 September 2026. Each basin publishes its own unit price, so the same volume can cost different amounts in Pangani and Lake Victoria. The amount on the control number issued by the board governs on the day of payment.

Irrigated farms of 100 acres or more also pay NEMC's annual fee under F0509: TZS 500,000 for 100 to 249 acres, TZS 1,000,000 for 250 to 499 acres, TZS 1,500,000 for 500 to 999 acres, then TZS 350 an acre. It follows the EIA certificate; see when an EIA is required.

Do you need a separate permit to drill a borehole?

Yes. Section 55 requires a groundwater permit to construct, sink, enlarge or deepen a well or borehole. It applies in a declared Groundwater Controlled Area and in any other area. The section opens by overriding the domestic hand-dug well exemption, so a mechanised borehole is never exempt.

The sequence runs in this order:

  1. The client obtains a groundwater permit from the Basin Water Board on Form C before drilling, under regulation 20(1) of GN 219 of 2013.
  2. The drilling contractor holds a drilling licence from the Director of Water Resources: Class One for boreholes deeper than 100 metres, Class Two for 100 metres or less.
  3. The person operating the rig holds an individual driller's licence.
  4. The contractor notifies the Basin Water Board before starting work in that basin.
  5. The borehole is completed within the period set by the permit, inspected, and converted into a water use permit under regulation 10(3) of GN 190 of 2010.

Drilling licences run for one year and are renewable, and the Director must decide applications within 30 days. Section 58 obliges drillers to submit groundwater data to the board, and section 60 requires an unused well to be sealed. Keep a copy of your contractor's current licence on file.

Inside a licensed urban water supply area there is a further layer. The Water Supply and Sanitation (Commercial and Community Boreholes Operations) Rules, GN 426 of 2023 require anyone selling borehole water to register with the local utility (NEW-05-26). Rule 2(2) excludes a borehole held for own use, so a factory using its own water does not register, but still needs its groundwater permit.

How does irrigation scheme registration fit with the permit?

Irrigation adds a second regulator. The National Irrigation Act, Cap. 435 (Act No. 5 of 2013) created the National Irrigation Commission. In the 2013 text, irrigation works need Commission approval and an EIA before construction, and an irrigation certificate is issued for approved works. The Commission keeps a register of irrigators and irrigation schemes.

The two systems are linked, not merged. The 2013 Act requires a water use permit under Cap. 331 to accompany an application for irrigation works. Recognition as an irrigator also depends on holding that permit. The Commission's regional offices work with Basin Water Boards on irrigation permits and disputes. In practice the water permit comes first, then scheme approval and registration.

Smallholders in a public scheme usually join an irrigators' organisation. A commercial estate with its own intake files in its own name. Irrigation service fees are set by ministerial order and are not in the fee register, so the Commission or the scheme assesses them.

What permits do livestock, aquaculture and agro-processing need?

The water permit is constant. The sector licence beside it changes.

Discharge permits in brief

Section 64 requires a discharge permit from the Basin Water Board before effluent enters surface water or underground strata. Section 65 makes unauthorised pollution an offence with a fine of at least TZS 300,000, up to one year's imprisonment, or both, plus remediation costs. The standard permit form under GN 190 of 2010 requires an annual report by 1 March.

What are the penalties for abstraction without a permit?

The Act treats unpermitted use as a criminal offence, and companies face a higher floor than individuals.

OffenceProvisionPenalty
Using water without a permitCap. 331 s.45Individual: TZS 300,000 to 5,000,000 or 3 to 6 months. Company: not less than TZS 5,000,000; subsequent offence not less than TZS 100,000 for each day it continues.
Using more water than permitted, or for another purposeCap. 331 s.44Same scale as s.45; the board may revoke the permit.
Drilling a well or borehole without a groundwater permitCap. 331 s.56Fine not less than TZS 500,000, up to 6 months, or both; further fine not less than TZS 50,000 on a continuing offence.
Drilling without a drilling licenceGN 219 of 2013 reg. 34Fine not less than TZS 5,000,000, up to 1 year, or both.
Working as a driller without a licenceGN 219 of 2013 reg. 35Fine not less than TZS 100,000, up to 3 months, or both.
Unlawful transfer of a water use or groundwater permitGN 157 of 2018 reg. 11Fine not less than TZS 500,000, up to 6 months, or both.
Late or non-payment of water chargesF0523 (GN 825 of 2019)5% a month; non-payment fine TZS 300,000 to 1,000,000 plus 5% a month.

Section 106 allows some offences to be compounded. A user served with a charge, a compounding offer or a seizure of pumps should see an advocate before responding.

How does Zanzibar handle water permits?

Cap. 331 does not reach Zanzibar. Water resources there fall under the Isles' own legislation. The Zanzibar House of Representatives' list of 2006 Acts includes the Water Act, listed as Act No. 4 of 2006, which established the Zanzibar Water Authority (ZAWA). A Development Bank of Southern Africa review of Zanzibar law records that the Act covers water ownership, use and licensing of abstraction from surface water and groundwater, and that ZAWA issues the water right.

The Zanzibar Utilities Regulatory Authority regulates supply tariffs and issues water development and supply licences. A farm or factory in Unguja or Pemba planning a borehole should start with ZAWA, not a Mainland basin board.

ItemMainlandZanzibar
Main lawWater Resources Management Act, Cap. 331 R.E. 2023Water Act, 2006 (listed as Act No. 4 of 2006)
Permit authorityNine Basin Water BoardsZanzibar Water Authority (ZAWA)
Driller licensingDirector of Water Resources, GN 219 of 2013Confirm with ZAWA
Utility regulatorEWURAZURA
Irrigation regulatorNational Irrigation CommissionConfirm with the Zanzibar ministry responsible for agriculture
ChargesBasin unit price under GN 825 of 2019 (F0522)Assessed by ZAWA on filing

Worked example: a 200-hectare irrigated farm

A company leases 200 hectares (about 494 acres) in the Rufiji basin for horticulture. It plans a river intake of 50 litres a second, pumped 12 hours a day for 200 days a year, and one 120-metre borehole for the packhouse.

The annual river volume is 0.05 m3 a second times 43,200 seconds times 200 days, which is 432,000 m3. That is far above the flat-rate threshold in F0522, so the farm is billed on volume. Rufiji's current unit price is not in the register. For illustration only, assume the board bills TZS 10 a cubic metre. The annual water user charge would then be TZS 4,320,000.

LineBasisTZS
Water user charge, river intake432,000 m3 at an illustrative TZS 10 (F0522; real price from the board)4,320,000
NEMC annual compliance fee, irrigated 250 to 499 acresF05091,000,000
Application, hydrological study and groundwater permitAssessed by the board on filingOn control number
Driller's Class One licenceHeld by the contractor; assessed by the DirectorIn the contractor's price
Late payment, if the bill is paid 3 months lateF0523: 5% a month on 4,320,000648,000

Now the downside. Pumping before the permit issues exposes the company to a fine of not less than TZS 5,000,000 under section 45. A repeat offence adds at least TZS 100,000 a day, so 60 more days means at least TZS 6,000,000 more. Sinking the borehole early adds at least TZS 500,000 under section 56.

Apply four to six months before the first planting.

Key dates and deadlines

What to do now

  1. Map the sources. List every intake, borehole, dam and pond, with coordinates and the basin each falls in.
  2. Check existing paperwork. Gather any permits, customary records or Water Users Association membership, and compare permitted volumes with actual pumping.
  3. Size the demand. Work out litres a second and cubic metres a year for each source, by season.
  4. Line up the studies. Commission any hydrological study and EIA the board will ask for, and confirm your driller's licence class.
  5. File the application. Lodge Form A, and Form C for boreholes, with the right board or on WUMIS, and pay against the control number.
  6. Register the irrigation scheme. Once the permit issues, apply for Commission approval and the irrigation certificate where works are involved.
  7. Diarise the obligations. Record permit conditions, meter readings and billing dates.

How Zatra helps

Zatra's sector permits team maps a farm's or factory's water sources, prepares Forms A, B and C, coordinates with the basin office and tracks the file to grant. For new investors we fit the permit into the wider sequence covered in starting an agriculture business in Tanzania and agricultural land access for foreign investors. Our business licensing service handles the trading licence that runs alongside it.

Government fees and water charges are paid to the Basin Water Board or the relevant authority at the official rate against a GePG control number. They are separate from Zatra's professional fee, which we quote in writing before work starts. Zatra does not decide or guarantee any authority's outcome. The boards decide permits and quantities, and the courts decide offences.

Prosecutions, seizure of pumps, compounding offers, water disputes between neighbours and formal legal opinions for lenders belong with an advocate of the High Court. We work alongside your advocate or introduce one. To start, contact Zatra with your site coordinates and any existing permits.

Sources and status

Accurate as at 3 November 2026.

Figures to confirm before you act

This article is general information based on official sources available at the date of publication. It is not legal, tax or financial advice. Laws and notices change. Verify with the issuing authority or consult Zatra before acting.

Frequently asked questions

Does a land title or lease include the right to use water on the land?

No. Water is vested in the state, so a right of occupancy or lease gives no abstraction right. A permit may be attached to land by the board, and it then passes with the land, but the new holder must notify the board within 30 days.

Can I start pumping while my application is pending?

Not lawfully. The offence in section 45 bites on use without a permit, and a pending file is not a permit. Ask the board for a temporary permit under section 46 if the season will not wait.

Can I sell or lease part of my permitted water to a neighbour?

Only with the board's consent. Section 46 allows trading of a water right for no longer than the permit's term, and GN 157 of 2018 sets the transfer procedure. An unapproved transfer is an offence with a fine of at least TZS 500,000.

Do I need a new permit if I change from maize to sugarcane?

If the quantity or purpose changes, yes, apply to vary the permit. Using more water than permitted, or using it for a purpose the permit does not state, is an offence under section 44 and can lead to revocation.

Can the board cut my permitted quantity in a drought?

Yes. A permit carries no guarantee of supply, and the Pangani board's guidance says a board can reduce the permitted quantity where the source lacks water. Section 72 also lets a board move to reduce permits left unused for three consecutive years, so record actual use.

Does a foreign-owned company apply differently?

No separate route exists in the Act. The company applies in its registered name with its incorporation documents and TIN, plus proof of lawful access to the site and intake.

Is borehole water for staff housing on an estate exempt?

Usually not. The exemption covers a shallow hand-dug well up to 15 metres for domestic use. A drilled borehole for a workforce camp is a mechanised abstraction and needs a groundwater permit and a licensed driller.

Sources & regulators

Verify before filing: Rates, forms and thresholds move by Finance Act, Government Notice and portal revision. Confirm the live schedule on the mandate-holder portal before you budget or submit. Law-firm alerts and Big Four notes are discovery only.

Brief the desk

This Insights page is orientation. Sector Business Permits is the commercial desk for the same facts. Zatra’s fee stays on its own line, separate from government, bank and regulator charges. Approvals are not guaranteed.

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Disclaimer

This article is informational orientation. It is not legal, tax or investment advice and not a government decision. Tanzanian instruments move by Act, Government Notice, Finance Act and portal revision. If a sentence here disagrees with the live mandate-holder, the mandate-holder wins. Zatra Consultants Limited does not issue licences, permits, tax clearances or approvals, and gives no assurance of any regulatory or banking outcome. Professional fees are published only on /pricing/.

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