[Company name]
ENG1502
Assignment 3 2024
(720331)- DUE 22
August 2024
QUESTIONS WITH DETAILED 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
ENG1502
Assignment 3 2024
(720331)- DUE 22
August 2024
QUESTIONS WITH DETAILED 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
