Municipal water systems continue to decline — Mchunu
He says there is a limit as to what national government can do about the problem
22 December 2023 - 13:15
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Water and sanitation minister Senzo Mchunu says his department remains committed to ensuring water service authorities provide people with access to safe drinking water. Picture: FREDDY MAVUNDA
The department of water & sanitation has set aside about R153bn over the next seven years to address water infrastructure backlogs in municipalities.
Water and sanitation infrastructure in many municipalities has crumbled or is inadequate to meet demand, resulting in a lack of water delivery or poor-quality water and dysfunctional water treatment plants.
The R153bn amount includes R105bn set aside to ensure water security for the country, said water and sanitation minister Senzo Mchunu in a written reply to a parliamentary question by EFF MP Mathibe Mohlala.
He noted that about 60% of national water infrastructure projects are funded by the private sector through public private partnerships, with the remaining R47.5bn being earmarked for water services.
But Mchunu acknowledged that “fundamental reforms are required to arrest and turn around the decline in municipal water and sanitation services.
“Despite all the support being provided to municipalities, water losses and non-revenue water continue to increase. Fundamental reform is required to arrest and turn around the decline in municipal water and sanitation services,” Mchunu said. Drop water reports indicated that water services continued to decline.
He added that his department is prioritising grant applications aimed at addressing water supply systems which are in poor or critical condition. Infrastructure grants worth more than R14bn were allocated to municipalities for the 2023/24 financial year.
The department of water & sanitation, alongside the department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs and National Treasury had developed an action plan — approved by cabinet — to bolster municipalities with wastewater and/or drinking water systems that scored less than 10% in the Green Drop and/or Blue Drop assessments. This refers to municipalities which are performing the worst in terms of their water quality and sanitation services.
The plan includes providing municipalities with technical and engineering support; capacity building and training; and financial management advice and support. Mchunu said however “there are limitations to which national support programmes can turn around the decline at municipal level”.
He said his department had issued noncompliance letters to water supply systems with poor drinking water quality compliance and in some cases these municipalities issued water advisory notices where the quality did not improve.
Mchunu also indicated that his department will issue updated and more comprehensive national norms and standards for water and sanitation services for public comment, and also publish a national regulatory dashboard showing compliance with national norms and standards as monitored and reported among others by the results of the Blue Drop, Green Drop and No Drop reports which assess the state the water supply system, wastewater management and wastage in drinking water distribution systems respectively.
The proposed Water Services Amendment Bill will also clarify the functions of the water service authorities and the water service providers in municipalities and stipulate that billing and revenue collection for water is a water service provider function.
“The amendment bill introduces a compulsory operating license system for water service providers to be managed by the department of water & sanitation as the national regulator. This will enable water service authorities to ensure that water service providers have minimum competency, capability, and performance levels.
“The bill will empower the minister of water and sanitation to instruct a water service authority to appoint a water services provider that is licensed. The bill will further provide for the minister to implement regulatory enforcement protocols (noncompliance notices, directives) for water services, and to make gross noncompliance an offence, similarly to the National Water Act.”
Replying to another question by Mohlala on water loss through leakages, Mchunu said the department monitors the loss of water through leakages as reflected in the current No Drop 2023 report released early in December.
“The latest national water balance indicates a total system input volume of 4,282.5 million m³/a. The national non-revenue water is estimated at 1,988.5 million m³/a (46.4%) and the water losses is 1,744.7 million m³/a (40.7%). KwaZulu-Natal has the highest non-revenue water at 60.5% with Western Cape having the lowest at 27.6%.”
Mchunu said national water use per capita is currently 218l/c/d (litres per capita per day), which is significantly above the international benchmark of 180l/c/d. Gauteng has the highest per capita usage at 279l/c/d followed by Limpopo (197l/c/d), then Free State (196l/c/d), with the rest of the provinces at around 180l/c/d. Western Cape has the lowest water use at 164l/c/d. The 2023 No Drop Report reflects that non-revenue water had increased from 37% in 2014 to 47%, and water losses have increased from 28% in 2014 to 38%.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Municipal water systems continue to decline — Mchunu
He says there is a limit as to what national government can do about the problem
The department of water & sanitation has set aside about R153bn over the next seven years to address water infrastructure backlogs in municipalities.
Water and sanitation infrastructure in many municipalities has crumbled or is inadequate to meet demand, resulting in a lack of water delivery or poor-quality water and dysfunctional water treatment plants.
The R153bn amount includes R105bn set aside to ensure water security for the country, said water and sanitation minister Senzo Mchunu in a written reply to a parliamentary question by EFF MP Mathibe Mohlala.
He noted that about 60% of national water infrastructure projects are funded by the private sector through public private partnerships, with the remaining R47.5bn being earmarked for water services.
But Mchunu acknowledged that “fundamental reforms are required to arrest and turn around the decline in municipal water and sanitation services.
“Despite all the support being provided to municipalities, water losses and non-revenue water continue to increase. Fundamental reform is required to arrest and turn around the decline in municipal water and sanitation services,” Mchunu said. Drop water reports indicated that water services continued to decline.
He added that his department is prioritising grant applications aimed at addressing water supply systems which are in poor or critical condition. Infrastructure grants worth more than R14bn were allocated to municipalities for the 2023/24 financial year.
The department of water & sanitation, alongside the department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs and National Treasury had developed an action plan — approved by cabinet — to bolster municipalities with wastewater and/or drinking water systems that scored less than 10% in the Green Drop and/or Blue Drop assessments. This refers to municipalities which are performing the worst in terms of their water quality and sanitation services.
The plan includes providing municipalities with technical and engineering support; capacity building and training; and financial management advice and support. Mchunu said however “there are limitations to which national support programmes can turn around the decline at municipal level”.
He said his department had issued noncompliance letters to water supply systems with poor drinking water quality compliance and in some cases these municipalities issued water advisory notices where the quality did not improve.
Mchunu also indicated that his department will issue updated and more comprehensive national norms and standards for water and sanitation services for public comment, and also publish a national regulatory dashboard showing compliance with national norms and standards as monitored and reported among others by the results of the Blue Drop, Green Drop and No Drop reports which assess the state the water supply system, wastewater management and wastage in drinking water distribution systems respectively.
The proposed Water Services Amendment Bill will also clarify the functions of the water service authorities and the water service providers in municipalities and stipulate that billing and revenue collection for water is a water service provider function.
“The amendment bill introduces a compulsory operating license system for water service providers to be managed by the department of water & sanitation as the national regulator. This will enable water service authorities to ensure that water service providers have minimum competency, capability, and performance levels.
“The bill will empower the minister of water and sanitation to instruct a water service authority to appoint a water services provider that is licensed. The bill will further provide for the minister to implement regulatory enforcement protocols (noncompliance notices, directives) for water services, and to make gross noncompliance an offence, similarly to the National Water Act.”
Replying to another question by Mohlala on water loss through leakages, Mchunu said the department monitors the loss of water through leakages as reflected in the current No Drop 2023 report released early in December.
“The latest national water balance indicates a total system input volume of 4,282.5 million m³/a. The national non-revenue water is estimated at 1,988.5 million m³/a (46.4%) and the water losses is 1,744.7 million m³/a (40.7%). KwaZulu-Natal has the highest non-revenue water at 60.5% with Western Cape having the lowest at 27.6%.”
Mchunu said national water use per capita is currently 218l/c/d (litres per capita per day), which is significantly above the international benchmark of 180l/c/d. Gauteng has the highest per capita usage at 279l/c/d followed by Limpopo (197l/c/d), then Free State (196l/c/d), with the rest of the provinces at around 180l/c/d. Western Cape has the lowest water use at 164l/c/d. The 2023 No Drop Report reflects that non-revenue water had increased from 37% in 2014 to 47%, and water losses have increased from 28% in 2014 to 38%.
ensorl@businesslive.co.za
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