RWCLM’s Blue Drop score drops to all-time lowest
RWCLM had the third lowest score of 87.23% in Gauteng according to the Department of Water and Sanitation's 2023 Blue Drop Report.
Despite their lowest Blue Drop score ever, Rand West City Local Municipality (RWCLM) reassured the public that the drinking water supplied to communities is of very high quality.
“Our drinking water undergoes extensive treatment processes at Rand Water’s treatment plant, and we also conduct regular water quality monitoring in all water storage reservoirs. These efforts ensure that drinking water is safe for human consumption and meets the requirements of the South African National Standard (SANS) for drinking water quality,” said Tshidiso Tlharipe, spokesperson to RWCLM’s executive mayor.
The water quality supplied by municipalities across Gauteng has come under the spotlight following the Department of Water and Sanitation’s 2023 Blue Drop Report.
The Blue Drop report is a comprehensive assessment of the state of all 958 water supply systems (WSS) in each of the 144 water services authorities (WSA) in the country.
For each WSS, assessments are carried out of the condition of the infrastructure; whether the required maintenance is being done on the infrastructure, whether the infrastructure is operated correctly, whether the proper treatment processes are followed, whether proper monitoring and controls are in place, and whether the staff have the necessary skills and qualifications, as stated by the Department of Water and Sanitation.
The lowest-scoring WSA in Gauteng is Emfuleni with a Blue Drop score of 85.9%. The highest is the City of Johannesburg with a score of 98.1%.
RWCLM had the third-lowest score of 87.23%, its all-time lowest. Its highest score recorded was 97.54% in 2012.
According to the Blue Drop report, “RWCLM receives bulk water of excellent water quality from Rand Water, which is fully compliant with all SANS 241 requirements. The Rand Water SANS accredited laboratory is also responsible for the internal monitoring of all the sampling points within the reticulation system in Rand West City.
“Maintenance is done internally by maintenance teams, although there are plans to appoint a panel of external contractors for maintenance and spares. Attention should be given to maintenance planning, particularly the scheduling of preventative maintenance. Accurate record-keeping should be conducted as evidence of maintenance to the distribution network. Rand West City would benefit from the appointment of more engineers and professional scientists for management and quality control in the water section.”
To add, RWCLM is encouraged to develop its risk management, financial management, and maintenance systems to ensure that the distribution systems continue to deliver safe water in the future.
Blue Drop findings:
• Preventative maintenance schedules should be developed and implemented, and accurate maintenance records kept
• Budgeting for capital projects as well as the development of maintenance schedules should be informed by the findings of reticulation system condition assessments and an updated asset register, which are currently lacking. The development of a water balance would also assist Rand West in keeping track of non-revenue water and improve conservation and demand management activities
• A new water safety plan needs to be compiled for the combined RWCLM, assembling the current management staff, including an updated risk register. The same applies to the Incident Management protocol for RWCLM
• A ringfenced water budget, preferably one that is system-specific, should be prepared by RWCLM to include the necessary cost drivers, as well as an accurate determination of spending against the budget to assist with future planning
