NGO unpacks poor quality of S Africa’s wastewater systems

Nongovernmental organisation (NGO) AfriForum’s latest blue and green drop report notes that % of sewage wastewater treatment works (SWWTWs) fail to meet minimum standards, which the NGO says endangers water sources nationwide, including those that supply drinking water to communities.

This dire situation, the NGO laments, further exacerbates the country’s severe water crisis.

It explains that the extent of sewage pollution that occurs across South Africa can be attributed to a lack of efficient infrastructure maintenance and management.

A problem that is increasingly occurring, especially in Gauteng’s metropolises, is that existing SWWTWs do not have sufficient capacity to treat increasing volumes of sewage and, as a result, more and more sewage is discharged into rivers without treatment, AfriForum environmental affairs manager Lambert de Klerk and environmental aairs adviser Marais de Vaal note.

AfriForum’s 2023 report highlights the dire state of water management in South Africa, revealing that only 19% SWWTWs complied with the required standards.

Consequently, the majority of sewage water is dumped into rivers without adequate treatment, posing a significant threat to public health and safety.

The report was compiled from water quality samples collected by AfriForum’s network of 161 branches, focusing on municipal drinking water and processed sewage water outflows from local SWWTWs during August.

De Klerk and De Vaal explain that the water tests analyse the presence of chemical and bacteriological components, including harmful bacteria such as E.coli and faecal coliforms, which can cause severe illnesses.

The findings of this year’s tests underscore the critical state of water supply chain management in South Africa, nd with De Klerk and De Vaal, stressing the “vicious cycle caused by the mismanagement of SWWTWs, aecting the quality and cost of drinking water”.

They warn that without urgent action, the situation could lead to life-threatening outbreaks, citing the cholera outbreak last year, as an example.

The report details standardised tests for in water samples, emphasising the frequent detection of E.coli and faecal coliform bacteria, especially in improperly treated sewage discharges. This contamination of water sources is particularly problematic in rural areas, where municipalities face significant budgetary constraints, AfriForum notes.

Despite some of these challenges, the 2023 drop results from AfriForum show a mostly “safe” status for municipal drinking water, with 96% of tests meeting standards.

However, the sewage treatment findings remain alarming, with no significant improvement over the past two years.

The DWS has issued directives to noncompliant municipalities, requiring action plans to address the shortcomings, though AfriForum refers to the municipalities’ “limited insight” into rectification, questioning the eectiveness of such plans.

While De Klerk and De Vaal note that there is no single strategy or technology to improve water management in South Africa, “the single greatest problem aecting water management is the current failure of local government structures, their financial constraints and lack of skilled employees”.

Therefore, AfriForum advocates for the use of joint ventures and similar mechanisms to enhance cooperation between the State and members from local communities.

“Not only should competent local community members be empowered to assist in water services delivery, but because local community members are personally invested in the successful provision of water services, significant improvements in the eectiveness of water services delivery can be made,” they tell Engineering News. AfriForum has also reached out to the national government, urging actions to maintain, upgrade, and manage water infrastructure eectively and hold non-performing municipal officials accountable.