The long-awaited Blue and Green Drop reports are due for publication by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) by the end of March.

The DWS last published the Green Drop and Blue Drop reports in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

While Green and Blue Drop audits were done in 2016/17, they were not released to the public and only released to the individual municipalities.

In July 2021, the DWS reinstated the Blue and Green Drop Certification Programmes to strengthen South Africa’s water quality monitoring system, with a full Green Drop audit and a partial Blue Drop assessment undertaken in 2021 and full Blue Drop audit and a partial Green Drop assessment to be done in 2022.

Speaking at the National Water and Sanitation Summit, held from February 18 to 19, Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu said that to ensure the provision of good quality drinking water, the department is effectively implementing the Blue and Green Drop Certification Programmes, which are focused on the provision of excellent drinking water and wastewater quality management in the country.

“We will publish the reports of the programme towards the end of March 2022. As a sector regulator, we are focused on ensuring that compliance to legislation takes cause and remains dedicated to safeguarding the risks revealed through these programmes,” he said.

Addressing the 400-plus delegates at the two-day summit in Midrand, he pointed to strict timeframes to improve South Africa’s state of water and sanitation service delivery.

This had followed a number of Ministerial working sessions undertaken by the DWS which sought to assess the challenges, find lasting solutions to the problems faced by the sector and encourage delivery by all spheres of government.

“It has become very clear: we need to find a way to accelerate our pace, particularly in delivering water to households.”

“Since 1994, we could and should have done more. It therefore means we have to start making up for some of the delays we have had in the past for various reasons.”

Mchunu said he wants to see a change in the delivery of water and sanitation services, emphasising the need for collaborative work between the public and private sectors, as well as communities and industry experts.

“Access to water is a challenge for most of our communities but we are here today to find solutions and to make a collective effort to ensure that this challenge is addressed,” he continued, raising pertinent issues that mostly inhibit the provision of water to communities.

These issues were deliberated on by summit delegates in their respective sessions, which included water resource management and climate change; the financing of water and sanitation; water and sanitation infrastructure; and the delivery mechanisms of municipalities and the water boards.

The discussions will result in resolutions leading to immediate actions to be implemented in as far as water and sanitation services provision is concerned nationally.

“We have already started establishing partnerships with stakeholders. This is indicative of the role to be played by all of us in the sector. In addition to private-public partnerships, we have identified the need for all three spheres of government to work together, because ultimately, we are in office through the will of the people and we have to serve with honour,” he said.

Deputy Minister David Mahlobo also implored industry experts and officials in academia to not hold back on holding government accountable, especially the department, but said that the criticism needs to be constructive, with collaborative recommendations.

At the summit, industry experts committed to work closely with the DWS and other spheres of government to ensure accountability is upheld and service delivery takes place.

Meanwhile, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma appealed to the DWS to consider contemporary ways of managing water resources.

“As we seek to address and unpack current water challenges, we must employ alternatives, such as the building of smaller and more cost-effective reservoirs closer to where people live and work,” she said, adding that this will ensure that communities do not wait too long to access water. It will also secure affordability for municipalities, water authorities and residents.