South Africa's Drinking Water in Critical State, Blue Drop Report Reveals

The quality of South Africa's drinking water has dramatically worsened since 2014, with a significant number of water supply systems failing to meet microbiological safety standards. This troubling revelation comes from the latest Blue Drop Report, which assesses the nation's drinking water quality. In a recent presentation by Sean Phillips, director general of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), details emerged showing that at times during 2022, the water in nearly half of the country's drinking water systems was deemed unsafe, heightening the risk of fatal waterborne diseases like cholera and chronic diarrhea.

The Blue Drop Report, released along with the No Drop Report focusing on water losses, and the Green Drop report addressing wastewater management systems performance, collectively indicates a troubling scenario. From the awarded 44 Blue Drop systems in 2014, only 26 systems scored above 95% compliance in 2023, showing a stark "overall decline in excellence." Further, 29% of water supply systems are now in a critical state, a significant increase from 174 systems in 2014.

Gauteng and the Western Cape are the top performers with 62% and 50% of their drinking water systems, respectively, having excellent or good performance records. Conversely, the Northern Cape has seen its systems with poor or critical performance skyrocket to 87%, a severe decline from 48% in 2014. The Free State has also experienced marked deterioration, with poor system performance doubling from 31% to 59% within the same period.

Out of the tested water supply systems, only 54% achieved acceptable levels of microbiological compliance, while an alarming 46% did not, a drastic difference from the 5% non-compliance in 2014. Chemical water quality also saw a decrease in compliance, with 24% of systems showing unacceptable levels compared to 15% nearly a decade ago. Phillips highlighted that these negative trends indicate a grave regression in drinking water quality. On a positive note, major metropolitan areas still generally maintain good water quality levels, but significant action is required across the board to address the widespread non-compliance.

Shockingly, during the audit period, 14 water service authorities did not submit any water quality data to the department or provide evidence of testing their water. In response, the DWS issued non-compliance notices and instructed these municipalities to advise their residents on the potential dangers of consuming untreated water. Some of these authorities are now in the process of rectifying this by appointing laboratories and beginning water quality sampling.

According to the South African Bureau of Standards — SANS 241, informed by World Health Organisation guidelines, a high level of tests over a year must comply with water quality standards to consider water as safe to drink. With only 54% of systems achieving acceptable microbiological compliance, the risk of waterborne diseases remains high.

Phillips has cited a lack of adherence to standard operating procedures and insufficient maintenance of drinking water and wastewater treatment infrastructure as underlying issues for these grim results. The DWS has issued letters to municipalities with poor performance based on the 2023 Blue Drop Report, requiring them to inform their residents of water quality risks.

WaterCAN's executive manager, Ferrial Adam, expressed her lack of surprise at the data, reiterating alignment with findings from the organization's independent water testing. Adam finds the high percentages of non-compliance particularly shocking and raises concern over the lack of 'boil water' notices from municipalities.

The Blue Drop report underscores the urgency to address South Africa's deteriorating water quality and the essential measures to ensure public health safety. It calls for immediate improvements to the current trend and an active commitment from both local authorities and the national government to address this public health emergency.