WORLD WATER DAY BY JESSIE TAYLOR
Blue future
Partnering for cleaner water sources
W
ater is a fundamental resource to life, development and economic growth, yet many South Africans find it difficult to access this resource. South Africa is a water-scare country facing the challenges of a growing demand for water alongside ageing infrastructure. But a renewed focus will ensure that collaboration improves both access to water and the quality of the water in both taps and rivers. CATERING FOR A GROWING WATER DEMAND Recently, the Water and Sanitation Ministry held a two-day National Water and Sanitation Summit at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand. The summit followed several Ministerial Working Sessions undertaken by the Ministry,
aiming to assess, address challenges and find lasting solutions faced by the sector. The summit aimed to draft immediate actions to improve water and sanitation services provision. The event comes after a series of working sessions that Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu carried out after being appointed to the post in August 2021. He visited each province to understand the service delivery challenges they are facing and to unlock bottlenecks hampering the completion of projects. South Africa’s water demand exceeds its supply, said Minister Mchunu. On average, water consumption in South Africa is 221 litres per person each day. The world average is 123 litres. Despite full dams and rivers,
38 | Public Sector Leaders | March 2022
water often fails to reach communities and household taps, said Minister Mchunu. This is often a result of water losses and service delivery failures. Minister Mchunu said municipalities lose as much as 60% of water due to failing infrastructure, low budgets and poor skills. The average loss reported by municipalities was at 40%, the lowest level of losses sat at 26%. The Department owns 323 of South Africa’s 5 641 dams. Other government departments own 86 dams, while water boards own 121. This requires municipalities to have arrangements with other entities, contributing to some of the country’s supply problems, as municipalities are responsible for reticulation. In contrast, other entities take care of bulk water supply.
