[Date]
ENG1502 Assignment
3 2024 (720331)- DUE
22 August 2024
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
, ENG1502 Assignment 3 2024 (720331)- DUE 22 August
2024
Water crisis in South Africa A new report by South Africa’s Department of
Water and Sanitation paints a grim picture of the quality of the country’s
drinking water, and its water infrastructure. The Blue Drop Audit Report is
meant to ensure that water service authorities are held accountable for
providing safe drinking water. The audit report found that the quality of the
country’s drinkable water is getting worse. Nearly half (46%) of all water
supply systems pose acute human health risks because of bacteria or other
pathogens in the drinking water supply. The report also found that more than
two thirds (67.6%) of all wastewater treatment works are close to failure. On
top of this it showed that over 47% of all clean and treated water was lost
through leaks, or could not be accounted for. The national Blue Drop Risk
Rating is an assessment focused on critical risk areas within water services. It
looks at water supply systems at a specific moment in time. This year’s report
showed that the overall risk had dropped from 52.3% in 2022 to 47.15% in
2023 after some water supply systems made improvements and improved
their risk category from critical or high to medium or low risk. But this
should not be celebrated. To achieve Blue Drop certification, water supply
systems must meet 95% of the criteria for delivering clean, drinkable water –
and only 26 of South Africa’s 958 water supply systems managed this. The
report found that several water supply systems were operating close to or
beyond their design capacity. Monitoring and compliance were severely
deficient. This makes fixing problems impossible as the scale of the issues at
stake are not being identified. The report said that in 23 parts of the country,
water supply systems are in “poor and critical condition”. Almost half of all
water supply systems (46%) do not comply with microbiological standards. In
these water supply systems, drinking water is contaminated by sewage and
bacteria. Viruses and parasites such as Legionella and Cyanobacteria may
have grown in the piped water systems and or water sources. These present
acute health risks, such as gastro illnesses with diarrhoea usually being the
prime symptom. Other primary waterborne illnesses can include cholera,
dysentery, hepatitis A and typhoid. Another problem the report highlighted
was that more than half of the country’s municipalities (57%) do not notify
water users when they discover that the water has been contaminated. Not
ENG1502 Assignment
3 2024 (720331)- DUE
22 August 2024
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
, ENG1502 Assignment 3 2024 (720331)- DUE 22 August
2024
Water crisis in South Africa A new report by South Africa’s Department of
Water and Sanitation paints a grim picture of the quality of the country’s
drinking water, and its water infrastructure. The Blue Drop Audit Report is
meant to ensure that water service authorities are held accountable for
providing safe drinking water. The audit report found that the quality of the
country’s drinkable water is getting worse. Nearly half (46%) of all water
supply systems pose acute human health risks because of bacteria or other
pathogens in the drinking water supply. The report also found that more than
two thirds (67.6%) of all wastewater treatment works are close to failure. On
top of this it showed that over 47% of all clean and treated water was lost
through leaks, or could not be accounted for. The national Blue Drop Risk
Rating is an assessment focused on critical risk areas within water services. It
looks at water supply systems at a specific moment in time. This year’s report
showed that the overall risk had dropped from 52.3% in 2022 to 47.15% in
2023 after some water supply systems made improvements and improved
their risk category from critical or high to medium or low risk. But this
should not be celebrated. To achieve Blue Drop certification, water supply
systems must meet 95% of the criteria for delivering clean, drinkable water –
and only 26 of South Africa’s 958 water supply systems managed this. The
report found that several water supply systems were operating close to or
beyond their design capacity. Monitoring and compliance were severely
deficient. This makes fixing problems impossible as the scale of the issues at
stake are not being identified. The report said that in 23 parts of the country,
water supply systems are in “poor and critical condition”. Almost half of all
water supply systems (46%) do not comply with microbiological standards. In
these water supply systems, drinking water is contaminated by sewage and
bacteria. Viruses and parasites such as Legionella and Cyanobacteria may
have grown in the piped water systems and or water sources. These present
acute health risks, such as gastro illnesses with diarrhoea usually being the
prime symptom. Other primary waterborne illnesses can include cholera,
dysentery, hepatitis A and typhoid. Another problem the report highlighted
was that more than half of the country’s municipalities (57%) do not notify
water users when they discover that the water has been contaminated. Not
