Sanitation services
THE Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) gazetted the draft National Norms and Standards for Domestic Water and Sanitation Services for public comments for a period of 60 days from September 8 to November 6.
Current norms and standards are being revised and reviewed to assist water service authorities and providers in providing offerings that are effective, efficient, reliable and sustainable.
The Strategic Framework for Water Services (2003) states, “Water Services Authority must ensure adequate and appropriate investments are made to ensure the progressive realisation of the human right to access to water and sanitation. A basic water supply of 50 litres per person per day in close proximity must be ensured.
The norms and standards are prescribed in terms of a number of factors such as the different users, the different geographical, socio-economic and physical attributes of areas, and focus on services with the aim to scale up Integrated Water Demand and Conservation Management.”
Norms and standards seek to ensure among others: Equity to ensure access for all Acceptability, safety and hygiene Protection and conservation of the environment
Monitoring and regulation for effectiveness and appropriateness
Economy and affordability The Water Services Act (1977) (Section 2) states everyone has a right to basic water supply and sanitation services. The Act also states “Every Water Services Authority must, in its water services development plan, provide for reasonable measures to realise these rights”.
A basic level of services according to the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) can only be achieved, “when the majority of the population accesses a minimum of 20 litres of water per person, per day”. As a country we have exceeded the MDG targets; the ideal is now to address the Sustainable Development Goal 6, on water and sanitation.
This is the perfect time for responsible parties to review the norms and standards. This comes at a time when everyone is expected to play their role in conservation, considering South Africa is a water-scarce country experiencing a drought, with climate change affecting resources. Lessons can be learnt to reshape our usage.
Our sanitation is skewed mainly towards flushing. Position 21 of the Sanitation Policy addresses appropriate technologies. This encourages the use of Human Settlement technologies which minimise natural resources’ use and thus negative impacts.
Most RDP houses are built with a standard bath. Filling a tub can take up to 80 litres of water. This does not talk to a minimum of 50 litres per person per day. Maybe it is time to look at installing showers.
This is a mammoth task that requires DWS to work with other government departments from planning to execution.
This gazette is available free online at www.gpwonline.co.za. Interested parties can submit written comments to: KM@dws.gov.za Phetho Ntaba Department of Water and Sanitation Western Cape Communication Services