The Department of Water Affairs has released the results of their 2012 Blue Drop Results. This is fourth Blue Drop Report and it is remarkable to note the impact this programme has had on the water sector over the past four years.
Debbie Besseling attended the press conference at the WISA2012 conference on Monday 7 May, where Minister Edna Molewa said “The Blue Drop Certification Programme is our own innovative means of regulation, designed and implemented with the objective of improved tap water quality management. This is a flagship innovation of the Department, one that I am happy to say has been embraced by the majority of our municipalities over the past four years. This is borne out y the marked improvement in the submission of performance portfolios by municipalities”. The report of 2012 shows significant improvements which serve as evidence of the positive impact this incentive based regulation approach is having on the South African water sector. The first Blue Drop report of 2009, indicated that the national microbiological compliance for South African tap water was measured at 93.3% against the National Standard (SANS 241). Notably this has increased to 97.3% in the 2012 reporting cycle. The overall national drinking water compliance figure is recorded at 98.93% (based upon microbiological, chemical, physical and organoleptic data).
The results of the top ten municipalities are as follows:
Ekurhuleni 98.95%
City of Johannesburg 98.92%
Mogale City LM 98.79%
Ethekwini Metro 98.77%
Tlokwe LM 98.45%
City of Cape Town 98.14%
Bitou LM 97.74%
Witzenberg LM 97.63%
Randfontein LM 97.54%
George LM 97.41%
