The law, signed into force by President Amani Karume, also allows the Zanzibar Water Authority (ZWA) to sell water to residents in the Indian Ocean island, government chief secretary Ramadhani Muomba said.

Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous island of some one million people, is suffering an acute water shortage caused by a searing drought in east Africa.

Washing near waterworks or catchment areas and polluting or building near such facilities carries a jail term of six months to a year or a fine of 300 to 1,000 dollars (235 to 783 euros), according to a copy of the law seen by AFP.

Last month, the Zanzibar chief minister Shamsi Vuai Nahodha ordered the demolition of around 300 houses built near water reservoirs and facilities such as springs, boreholes and wells.

"We are planning to demolish the houses as directed by the chief minister, but we are not rushing to implement it. We have to pass through legal measures before demolishing illegally constructed houses," Water Minister Mansour Hamid told AFP.

The 350,000 people living in Stone Town, Zanzibar's historic centre and densely-populated capital, require about 50 million litres of water a day. The town currently receives only about 30 million litres a day, according to ZWA.

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