Keeping the water flowing
AS A child growing up in the rural town of Lady Frere in Eastern Cape in the early 1990s, we used to travel long distances to the river to fetch water for the household.
We used to share water with domestic animals such as cows, horses, donkeys, pigs etc, and that happened for years.
Two decades down the line, the ball game has changed completely. Today I can open a tap from inside my house at my convenience.
This convenience is shared by millions of South Africans who for many decades did not have access to clean water.
Decentralised water governance, universal access, a human rights approach and a water sector that is transformed makes the government’s legacy tangible.
As we are coming to the end of Freedom Month, we wish to remind all water users of the highlights of the interventions of the government in service delivery.
Did you know that water services received the lion’s share of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP)? This means that each year after 1994, one million people were connected to improved water supply.
Did you know that more than 90% of the population is connected to clean, piped water?
Did you know that South Africa is one of the 12 countries in the world where tap water is safe to drink?
While we are encouraged with the progress made, more needs to be done to ensure that every citizen has access to water, as enshrined in our constitution.
The Department of Water and Sanitation, through its National Water Resource Strategy 2 (commonly called the blueprint for water management), tries to manage water in an equitable and sustainable manner.
Water is life, sanitation is dignity.