AfriForum’s independent blue drop and green drop reports have found a regression in South Africa’s water systems, particularly wastewater treatment works.

The organisation’s yearly blue drop (municipal drinking water) and green drop (processed sewage water) reports outline the results of sample testing undertaken in August across its network of 160 branches nationwide.

“AfriForum’s 2024 blue and green drop results paint a dark and worrying picture of the management of South Africa’s water supply and sewage treatment systems. With little to no improvement in the results of the past five years, the expectation is that a lack of access to clean drinking water and the pollution of natural water sources will increase even more in the future, unless urgent and drastic action is taken,” said AfriForum environmental affairs adviser Marais de Vaal.

The blue drop testing indicates that 87% – 182 out of 210 tests – of municipal drinking water is safe for human consumption and meets the minimum requirements, however, this is a nine percentage point decrease from the 96% – 185 out of 193 tests – that was indicated as safe in 2023.

“Where only eight cases in 2023 indicated unsafe drinking water – and these results were limited to Mpumalanga, the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal – in 2024 unsafe municipal drinking water occurs in 28 towns, spread over each of the nine provinces,” he said.

“This year’s green drop results, which give an indication of whether sewage is processed to a sufficient standard to be released safely into the environment, are equally shocking.”

The 2024 green drop results indicate that only 13%, or 20 of the 150 wastewater treatment works tested, meet the minimum standards for discharge into a water resource.

The outflow from the vast majority, 87%, or 130 out of 150, of wastewater treatment works do not meet the prescribed standards.

This is a six percentage point increase compared with 2023, when 81% of tests at wastewater treatment plants showed pollution.

“An alarming observation is that the results of 2023’s green drop tests indicated that no processed sewage in the Free State or the Eastern Cape met the prescribed standards. In 2024, a further three provinces, namely Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, were added to this unenviable group and there are now five provinces where none of the green drop test results met the standards.”

“The complete mismanagement of the entire water supply chain represented by these shocking figures predicts that South Africans can not only expect higher costs for the treatment of drinking water in the future, but also the existence of an increasing risk that consumers will be exposed to unsafe drinking water.”

AfriForum environmental affairs manager Lambert de Klerk explained that water supply and sewage treatment systems do not function properly because the vast majority of municipalities, which are mainly responsible for water and sanitation services, continuously underperform.

“Their underperformance arises owing to poor management, a lack of financing, maintenance and protection of existing infrastructure. Municipalities also fail to develop and implement new infrastructure to keep up with population growth.”

AfriForum referenced the Percy Stewart wastewater treatment works, outside Krugersdorp, within the Mogale City municipality, which is facing a large-scale water pollution crisis.

“The processed sewage that is discharged into the environment by this wastewater treatment plant did not meet the minimum standards for discharge into a water resource for the third year in a row. This dysfunctional plant is therefore indicative of the extensive and increasing decay that currently characterises municipalities across the country’s supply of drinking water and sewage treatment services.”

AfriForum believes the only successful solution for the water crisis, which essentially stems from poor management, and the sustainable management of South Africa’s water resources, lies in cooperation and alignment between all levels of government, different government departments, the private sector and community organisations.