What (a) measures has his department together with the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs put in place to effectively address the critical issue of municipalities struggling to meet their payment commitments for bulk water, which poses a severe threat to essential services and the well-being of affected communities, (b) actions and strategies will he take to tackle the mounting municipal debts to water boards, in the event that the defaulting municipalities persist in their non-responsiveness and neglect of their obligations and (c) specific measures does his department have in place to ensure their accountability and prevent the burden of non-payment from unfairly impacting the water boards?
a) The Department of Water and Sanitation convened a joint workshop with Water Boards, National Treasury, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) and South African Local Government Association on 5 December 2022. The purpose of the workshop was to develop strategies to improve Billing and Revenue Collection in the water sector. The resolution from that workshop was to draft standardised operating processes (SOP) for ...
Whether he has been informed that the tap water in Ward 5, Riemvasmaak in the Kou-Kamma Local Municipality, is brown and dirty, and that residents are complaining of stomach pains and diarrhoea; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what (a) is the position in this regard and (b) interventions have been provided in this regard?
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has not been informed of the tap water in Ward 5, Riemvasmaak in the Kou-Kamma Local Municipality (LM). The Kou-Kamma LM has not captured water sampling results on the Integrated Regulatory Information System (IRIS) of DWS, which led to regulatory notices being issued to Kou-Kamma LM.
a) Following an investigation, it was found that the Riemvasmaak is ...
What (a) is the breakdown of the costs of hired water tankers in the 44 district municipalities, (b) are the time frames for sustainable potable water distribution and (c) steps of intervention have been put in place to eliminate the water tanker mafia?
a) The costs for water tanks that are hired by municipalities are borne by the municipalities as Water Service Authorities. DWS does not have this information.
b) The StatsSA General Household Survey (GHS) showed that 89% of households have access to operational services, while reliability is only at 63%.
The Department is embarking on the development Five Year Reliable Water and Sanitation Services Delivery ...
(1) What steps has his department taken to intervene to improve the quality of drinking water in the Musina Local Municipality, Limpopo, following the direct pumping of water from the river to residences due to load shedding
(2)(a) at what intervals is the water tested and (b) what are the relevant details of the contaminants that were found to include high quantities of pollutants?
A water quality monitoring programme is being implemented by the Musina Local Municipality in relation to the compliance to South Africa National Standard 241(SANS 241) following the visit by the Minister of the Department of Water and Sanitation to Musina in 2022. The following measures were implemented to improve the drinking water quality:
- Cleaning of reservoirs
- Chlorination/disinfection of water before distribution
- Monitoring programme of ...
What long-term measures have been put in place by his department to deal with the sewerage spillage in Ward 6 in Bloemfontein in the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, where residents continue to live amongst sewerage?
The Department of Water and Sanitation office regularly conducts inspections and audits on the operation and maintenance of the Wastewater Collector Systems (WWCS) including wastewater treatment plants, pump stations, and sewer networks in all Water Services Institution (WSIs) in the Free State Province including the Mangaung Metro Municipality. The inspections are intended to assess if WWCS are operated and maintained in a manner that ...
In light of the recent alarming reports of cholera contamination in the Vaal River and his department’s warning for residents to avoid tap water, what (a) immediate measures will his department take to address the cholera outbreak in the Vaal River and ensure the safety of the affected residents, (b) are the details of how his department will collaborate with relevant stakeholders to effectively contain and treat the outbreak and (c) are the details of the resources that will be allocated to support the efforts?
Outbreaks of cholera are caused either by people ingesting sewage-polluted water, or by faecal-oral means - through poor hygiene, eating contaminated food or by coming into contact with the faeces of an infected person. Sewage pollution of rivers can result in cholera bacteria entered the rivers via the faeces of an infected person or people.
DWS released its Green Drop report in 2022, which ...
Whether there are any plans to supply the 100 households of Eric’s Ville Community in Ward 11 in the Nkomazi Local Municipality with water, as the community has been without water since it was established in 2014; if not, why not; if so, when?
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and Nkomazi Local Municipality (LM) conducted a site inspection that included Ericsville and surrounding villages including Ericsville, Ka-Hhoyi, Goba and Mbangwane. The inspection covered six reservoirs (three concrete and three elevated steel tanks) as well as the Masibekela Water Treatment Works.
The water scheme comprises of three phases of 7ML/day per phase producing a total of 21ML/day. ...
Considering that his department recently announced that the residents of the cholera-affected Hammanskraal can expect clean, drinkable water from taps only by March next year, and noting that the issue of a lack of clean, drinkable water is not new, nor is it happening only in Hammanskraal, what steps has his department taken to date in other areas that are facing a similar problem in order to prevent the specified issue from spreading?
Raw water is drawn from rivers and dams and treated in Water Treatment Works by either water boards or municipalities before it is supplied to households. The treated water is required by law to meet drinking water standards set by the South African Bureau of Standards in South African National Standard (SANS) 241. Municipalities and water boards are also required to conduct regular tests ...
Which (a) initiatives has he taken to investigate the alleged impact of corruption with regard to the cholera outbreaks in the Republic and (b) measures have been taken to deter the impact of corrupt practices on the quality and maintenance of water and sanitation infrastructure?
a) The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) monitors the condition of municipal water and sanitation infrastructure through three incentive-based regulatory mechanisms:
- The Green Drop Report, which focuses on sanitation (waste-water treatment systems and effluent quality)
- The Blue Drop Report, which focuses on water (water treatment and water quality)
- The No Drop Report, which focuses on non-revenue water and water losses through leakages
The ...
What specific measures has he recently undertaken to address the mismanagement of the water supply, neglect of infrastructure, political influence and corruption in water management, in order to effectively tackle the water crisis and safeguard the constitutionally enshrined human right to water?
The Department has identified issues that need to be addressed and measures to be implemented for water security and effective water services management:
- Introducing more specific minimum requirements to operate water and sanitation services, to include this in an operating license. This will mean strengthening enforcement through directives and amending Section 63 of the Water Services Act - to follow a more effective approach ...
