ENG1502
ASSIGNMENT 3 2024
(720331)- DUE 22
AUGUST 2024
QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE ANSWERS
[DATE]
[COMPANY NAME]
[Company address]
, 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
ASSIGNMENT 3 2024
(720331)- DUE 22
AUGUST 2024
QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE ANSWERS
[DATE]
[COMPANY NAME]
[Company address]
, 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
