YWP

from Water&Sanitation Africa January/February 2022

Precast toilets manufactured in rural areas

WATER QUALITY

“Thousands have lived without love, not one without water”. The relevance of this old quote, by poet WH Auden, is reinforced by the recent role WASH initiatives play in preventing the transmission of Covid-19. Baloyi Mogau, disaster risk management graduate, outlines the crucial elements and benefits of water quality.

Water pollution, urbanisation, population growth and the transmission

of diseases – coupled with the prominence of the impacts of climate change and food security issues in vulnerable communities – place increasing pressure on water quality. As the world’s population is expected to reach nine billion by 2037, the increasing demand for potable water exacerbates the risks for water planners and authorities in addressing the shortages of adequate quality of water supply.

However, such risks can be mitigated and prevented, provided adequate and risk-informed preparatory measures are implemented promptly. Conversely, the procedures for averting the crises embedded in those risks do not come cheap or without effort.

What is water quality?

Water quality is essential for lifesupporting processes for both marine and terrestrial lives. By taking the nutrient contents of water from a health and chemical perspective into account, water quality has a great effect on how life cycles are maintained and sustained.

Moreover, water quality defines the required standards and conditions for safe water. The management of water quality promotes the consideration of principles relating to the microbial, chemical and radiological aspects of water, as well as their acceptability standards. In other words, for water to be acceptable, it should adhere to the prescribed microbial, chemical, and radiological standards for water potability. Water quality practitioners also consider consumer satisfaction, specifically with regard to the appearance, taste and odour of water. Thus, the acceptability of water is influenced by the utilisation purpose of the water (agricultural, industrial, domestic and recreational use).

Natural water quality is measured to assess and prioritise the establishment of either ‘residual’ or ‘chemical’ water disinfection plants for a sustainable quality water supply that also reduces the susceptibility to the transmission of waterborne diseases. Water quality standards describe, monitor and control the conditions of water by ensuring that it withstands the rigorously derived testing standards for acceptability and qualification to serve specific purposes, including cooking and drinking. In simple terms, it measures the content of impurities using physical, biological and chemical methods.

Baloyi Mogau, disaster risk management graduate Impacts of poor water quality management

Poor water quality can pose health risks to both people and the ecosystem, leading to degradation of the available water resources, which has an adverse impact on

the health of plants and animals. The pollution of water resources – through the improper disposal of polymers and wastewater (unauthorised effluent discharges) as well as chemical spillages – can result in odorous water streams and increase the concentration of harmful chemicals in water resources. These can subsequently compromise air quality, the atmosphere, as well as the quality of precipitation by contributing towards acid rain. Additionally, poor water quality can increase the prevalence of diseases, including cholera, diarrhoea, polio and others associated with acute and chronic lung diseases.

To combat some of the above-mentioned water-related problems, governmental policies are ratified and enacted to regulate and impose punitive judgments or penalties on transgressors. Solutions Issues relating to water quality are mitigable, requiring collaborative efforts and a willingness to act by all parties. Despite a plethora of probable water quality management solutions, the scant presence of residual disinfection plants in rural communities in South Africa warrants the evaluation of legislative compliance, capacity-building efforts, the competencies of water practitioners, and proper policy implementations relating to the provision of safe drinking water in South Africa.

Currently, water quality is mediocre in South Africa. Mining industries and power-generating plants have a significant impact on water quality and agricultural production in South Africa. The failure to adopt the technology used in the eMalahleni Water Reclamation Plant to recover drinkable water from acid mine drainage elucidates the lack of responsibility and commitment towards preserving and maintaining the country’s water quality. Furthermore, coal also poses a threat to water resources, while rehabilitation costs the government over R1 billion on an annual basis. Mine dumps established on dolomitic areas have a negative impact on the underground water quality in Gauteng.

Water is essential for a just transition in green economic development and the strengthening of sustainable development, yet low levels of collaborative effort are seen in the development of sustainable and resilient water systems. Creating a local context The implementation of water-related policies centred around collaborative efforts has proven to be efficient in addressing problems such as water pollution, water financing, water administrative issues, and inadequate water supply within an international context. However, the nonbinding aspects and the dominance of Eurocentric policy designs, as well as inequalities in water resource management capacity between countries

By taking the nutrient contents of water from a health and chemical have resulted in a lag in perspective into account, water quality has a great effect on how life cycles policy implementation in are maintained and sustained South Africa, necessitating a reassessment and evaluation of best-fit limitations in international policies to better suit the South African water quality context. Water quality policies provide guidelines and frameworks for water quality and supply by specifying the legal functions for quality control and quality assurance in water supplies. These frameworks specify the criteria for using various disinfection methods and how to ensure a sustainable drinking water supply. The effectiveness of water quality policies, frameworks and other supportive instruments relies heavily on the level of implementation, legislative enforcement, and the willingness to play a role by the parties responsible for the practice. There is a strong need for a collaborative engagement in dealing with the current water realities. It is not only the government that should be responsible for the production and distribution of clean water, but also private companies, especially large water consumers and polluters such as those in the mining sector.