Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
non revenue waterlatest news & developments
The Blue, Green and No Drop certification programmes are the department’s regulatory mechanisms to improve municipal drinking water quality, wastewater management, water conservation and demand management.
BLUE DROP REPORT

SA’s water crisis deepens: Nearly half of wastewater systems critical

The latest Green, Blue and No Drop reports show widespread deterioration of water and sanitation infrastructure. Nearly half of wastewater systems are critical, drinking water…

  • Sheree Bega
8 min read
Down the drain: Failures in municipal infrastructure are leaving residents without reliable water supply. Almost 50% of the country’s precious resource is lost before it reaches consumers. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy
JOHANNESBURG WATER CRISIS

Poor upkeep behind water crisis, civil engineers say

They have stressed the need for skilled oversight and preventive maintenance

  • Sheree Bega
7 min read
Urban drought: The persistent water shortages in Johannesburg, often making it necessary for residents to collect water from tankers for daily use. (Louw/Volksblad/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
DURBAN INFRASTRUCTURE

Smidgen of hope as eThekwini water losses decline — but they are still excessive

Despite slight improvements, supply remains strained and ratepayers continue to demand urgent action on infrastructure, billing and governance

  • Des Erasmus
4 min read
Water and Sanitation Minister Pemmy Majodina has approved a temporary increase in water abstraction by Rand Water to stabilise Gauteng’s strained municipal water systems (DWS/X)
DEPARTMENT OF WATER AND SANITATION

Minister blames municipal mismanagement for Gauteng’s rising water demand

The province is ‘not doing the right things’ to rescue itself from running out of water, Pemmy Majodina told parliament’s portfolio committee on water and sanitation

  • Sheree Bega
7 min read
National reports show that only 14-16% of municipal water systems consistently provide water that is safe to drink. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
LEAKS

Fixing water leaks will help avert a national disaster

Only a collective response will avert the crisis that is, in part, caused by the loss of non-revenue water

  • Jay Bhagwan
5 min read