Latest news with #BlueDrop
The Citizen
4 days ago
- General
- The Citizen
Ekurhuleni assures residents of safe water quality during Rand Water maintenance
The city has reassured residents that water quality will not be compromised during the scheduled Rand Water maintenance. This assurance comes as the city maintains its certification of clean and safe water supply, confirmed by the National Department of Water and Sanitation's Blue Drop Report of 2023. Rand Water, the city's bulk water supplier, is undertaking critical infrastructure repairs starting at 05:00 tomorrow, July 15, and concluding at 07:00 on July 18. ALSO READ: Water supply interruption in Ekurhuleni from July 15 due to Rand Water work The maintenance will temporarily disrupt the water supply to several areas across the metro, including Kempton Park, Germiston, Thembisa, Edenvale, and Bedfordview. In response, the city will dispatch water tankers to affected areas as a relief measure. To ensure that residents continue to receive the same high-quality water, Ekurhuleni's water quality section will collect and test water samples from each tanker before distribution. This process safeguards the integrity of the water supply, even during periods of disruption. The city has encouraged residents to remain vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour involving the water tankers, including the illegal sale of water, which is strictly prohibited. Any concerns related to water quality should be reported immediately to the City of Ekurhuleni's call centre at 0860 543 000. 'The safety and health of our residents remain our top priority,' said the city in a statement. ALSO READ: Water supply interruption in Ekurhuleni from July 15 due to Rand Water work 'Maintaining our Blue Drop standard – whether through piped supply or water tankers – is non-negotiable.' Residents can expect updates through the city's official communication platforms throughout the maintenance period. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
01-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Urgent calls for community engagement in KwaZulu-Natal's water master plan
KwaZulu-Natal is one of the provinces with the highest water losses in the country, with the 2022 and 2023 no-drop results indicating that the non-revenue water (NRW) averaged 52.6%. Image: Paballo Thekiso / Independent Newspapers KwaZulu-Natal is one of the provinces with the highest water losses in the country, with the 2022 and 2023 no-drop results indicating that the non-revenue water (NRW) averaged 52.6%. This was higher than the global aggregate of 30% and was one of the water provision challenges the KZN Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) stated when they presented their progress report on the KZN Provincial Water Master Plan (PWMP) to the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature Portfolio Committee on Tuesday. Other challenges include no planned maintenance programme in relation to aging infrastructure, and also unplanned/reactive maintenance, which is mostly undertaken. In its presentation, Cogta stated that drinking water quality management remains a challenge in the province, as 21 water systems were found to be in a critical state as per the Blue Drop results published by DWS in December 2023. This has also resulted in a decline in the water quality in Amajuba, King Cetshwayo, uMzinyathi, and Zululand districts. The department has implemented what they term seven pillars in response to some of the challenges. They are: Water resources programme. Water treatment, bulk distribution, and storage. Water reticulation programme. Water conservation/water demand management programme. Financial sustainability and revenue enhancement programme. Operations and maintenance programme. Human resources development programme. In a brief presentation, the uMgeni-uThukela Water also highlighted several infrastructure projects in various stages of implementation, with the upgrade of the KwaMaphumulo treatment plant from 6 to 12 Ml/d and secondary bulk pipelines (9 Ml/d capacity) through the Mshwathi Bulk Water Supply Scheme (BWSS) in Ilembe District Municipality being one of them. A presentation by the eThekwini Municipality Water and Sanitation (EWS) touched on the Water Turnaround Strategy and new bulk water schemes. The strategy addresses 12 key areas of the water business over the short and medium term. A cornerstone of the strategy is to improve the financial position of EWS for the improved maintenance and replacement of assets. Tim Brauteseth, MPL and DA KZN spokesperson on Finance and Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa), was concerned about staff shortages in various entities and non-revenue water figures. 'There must be a clampdown on theft and vandalism of water infrastructure and reduction of algae in the system that is blocking pipes,' he said. Bonginkosi Mngadi, MPL and uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) member, called for more public hearings to listen to the plight of the people on issues of water. Mngadi called for the prioritisation of boreholes throughout the districts, with emphasis on deep rural areas. 'There are issues of water being supplied by tankers that are using municipal budgets. We need to look into the possibility of boreholes rather than spend money on water trucks. Some of these trucks are travelling quite a distance to reach some areas. Harding is confronted with a drought, and bore holes will assist the residents,' he suggested. Dr Celiwe Qhamkile Madlopha, ANC MPL, called for roadshows to explain to the public what the challenges are and what is being done going forward with regard to water supply issues. 'When the community raises challenges, they think it falls on deaf ears because they do not know about the good work being done to address it. I am concerned about service delivery on the ground and the grants not being spent,' she said. Marlaine Nair, chairperson of the KZN Legislature Cogta Portfolio Committee, called for an updated water master plan so that progress can be tracked. 'The planned maintenance and slow implementation are serious concerns for us. Why are municipalities not rolling out plans in place?' she asked. Otto Bonginkosi Kunene, an IFP MPL, was concerned about water and sanitation rollouts in the province, which he believed were critical in rural communities. 'Sanitation is dignity, it remains a slogan and not being felt in rural areas,' he quipped. [email protected]
TimesLIVE
26-06-2025
- Health
- TimesLIVE
Do you drink tap water at home?
Johannesburg has earned top marks for its drinking water quality, with the latest Blue Drop report classifying it as 'excellent' chemically and microbiologically. But even as the city shines, Gauteng's overall water quality scores are slipping, though they remain high compared with most of the rest of the country. Nationally, the picture is far more worrying. The 2024 Blue Drop report reveals that 46% of South Africa's drinking water supply is now classified as 'unacceptable', with a marked decline in water quality in numerous towns and cities over the past decade. Despite this, water treatment in many areas is still robust. Craig Sheridan, a professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, explains how water is made safe: 'South Africa's water works are able to remove almost all chemicals such that the water is safe to drink. The water treatment works also disinfect the water, killing harmful bacteria and viruses. This is mainly done with chlorine. The residual chlorine travels with the water down the pipe to the reservoir and into your home, keeping the water pathogen free. 'This is why the water from taps sometimes smells a little like chlorine. This is a good thing. It means your water is safe.'
Daily Maverick
25-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Maverick
School children discover that more than 40% of school water samples they tested are unsafe
The Department of Basic Education has expressed 'concern' about the test results from seven provinces. Citizen science tests by children and teachers in seven provinces suggest that roughly 40% of the school water samples they collected are not safe to drink because of stomach bug bacteria and other water contaminants. While the informal testing project was based on a very small sample of schools – mainly in townships and rural areas – they nevertheless closely mirror the findings of the government's last official Blue Drop report, which found that 'it was not microbiologically safe to drink the water in almost half (46%) of our drinking water systems at times during 2022 when the Blue Drop audit was done'. The Blue Drop report also stated that the poor tap water quality found in many smaller municipalities increases the risk of life-threatening water-borne diseases such as cholera and chronic diarrhoea. In the latest Water Warriors test programme, children and teachers at 95 schools nationwide collected and analysed samples during a series of World Water Day events in March. Subsequent analysis showed that 43% of samples were classified as unsafe for human consumption due to unacceptable levels of bacterial contamination. Large plastic water storage containers (JoJo and similar tanks) showed the highest levels of contamination (73%) while 66% of river-collected water and 23% of municipal tap water samples were also contaminated with E. coli and other intestinal bugs. Dr Ferrial Adam, executive director of WaterCAN, a national civil society organisation which helped to initiate the project, said the results would be shared with all the schools involved and the Department of Basic Education. 'When schools lack clean water, the consequences are profound. Children fall ill. Teachers struggle to create safe learning environments. Families are forced to buy bottled water with money meant for food or transport. These are not isolated incidents – they are symptoms of systemic neglect,' she said. Increasingly, many schools across the country were operating with intermittent or no piped water supply, relying instead on boreholes, rainwater harvesting or water tank deliveries. These sources were often unreliable, poorly maintained or contaminated. Adam acknowledged that: 'This project was a snapshot, not a full picture. With 95 schools participating, this represents only a tiny fraction of the more than 24,000 schools in South Africa.' But the fact that more than 40% of the tested water samples were unsafe for drinking was 'alarming', and suggested that many more schools could be facing similar or worse conditions without knowing it. 'While we cannot generalise about the water quality status of all schools, the findings do highlight systemic concerns that likely apply nationwide.' Department of Basic Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga has also expressed 'concern' about the test results, noting that the National School Nutrition Programme – which provides meals to 9.6 million children daily – also depends on the water supply available in the areas where the schools are located. 'Any risk to which the learners are exposed poses a serious threat to the entire value chain thus placing the health of millions of children at risk. The report therefore raises critical matters that have an impact on schooling in the country.' 'Schools are beneficiaries of services rendered by municipalities and other organs of state, so they depend on those organisations established specifically to provide services that are needed for education to take place in a conducive environment.' The testing, under the umbrella of the Water Warriors Collective, was initiated by WaterCAN, with support from Adopt-a-River, the Wildlife and Environment Society, Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, the Cape Town Science Centre, the Nelson Mandela Bay Science Centre, Makhanda River Rescue and the Leap Institute. The testing kits were supplied by the i-lab group which designed portable kits for non-scientific field operatives to do a basic water quality screening on chemicals (nitrates, nitrites, phosphates, chlorine, alkalinity, pH and hardness) and microbiological contamination (total coliform, E. coli) to determine the water's safety for human consumption. DM
