THE Wami/Ruvu Basin Water Board has issued a one month ultimatum to individuals, institutions and industries it owes outstanding unpaid fees, failure to which it will embark on a no-nonsense operation to all defaulters.

The Board equally wants individuals who have been drilling boreholes without permits to visit its offices and register within one month prior to the start of the operation.

Speaking at a news conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Simon Ngonyani, who is the Water Officer at the Board, said some institutions, factories and individuals who were legally bound to pay the requisite fees every year were not complying.

Among them is the Dar es Salaam Water and Sewerage Authority (DAWASA) which had accumulated an outstanding debt amounting to over 1bn/-.

"We want DAWASA to clear its debt and all owners of boreholes to come and honour their obligations within one month from today (Yesterday), if they don't, we will take appropriate legal action against them, regardless of who they are," he said.

Mr Ngonyani further said that there were some factories that had poor sewerage systems, saying the Board was contemplating on launching a massive operation to crack the whip against all owners.