Water Qualit y & Monitoring
How safe is your water? The water sector has lamented the halt in the Blue Drop programme, which monitored water safety planning and actual water quality compliance in line with SANS 241. However, information is still available for the public and professionals to monitor the compliance of drinking water. By Ayesha Laher*
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ccess to safe drinking water is a human right recognised by the United Nations and enshrined in South Africa’s Constitution. The definition of ‘safe’ as per the UN is water free from substances that constitute a threat to a person’s health. The measurement of drinking-water safety is usually defined by national and/or local standards for water quality. In 2004, the World Health Organization introduced the Water Safety Plan, which states: “The most effective means of consistently ensuring the safety of a drinking-water supply is through the use of a comprehensive risk assessment and risk management approach that encompasses all steps in the water supply from catchment of consumer.” Since then, water safety plans (WSPs) have been implemented in 90 countries and nearly 70 countries have policies or regulations pertaining to WSPs in place or under development, including South Africa, which has incorporated WSPs into the National Drinking Water Standards SANS 241:2015 and Blue Drop Certification Programme. Our drinking water standard is therefore aligned with international best practice principles to ensure continuous monitoring of both current and future potential water quality risks. As per Section 62 of the Water Services Act (No. 108 of 1997), all water services institutions (WSIs) are required to
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provide the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) with information to undertake a proper analysis of water quality performance as per its mandate to regulate water services in the country. The DWS developed an electronic information management system called the Blue Drop System (BDS) for this function of monitoring water quality compliance and performance. WSIs capture certified data on the BDS and the DWS utilises this data for regulatory performance, including water quality compliance against SANS 241. Although the formal Blue Drop audits have not taken place since 2013, WSIs are still required to provide monthly water quality data against SANS 241 limits on the BDS, as is it an offence to refuse, withhold or
provide false water quality information to the DWS, as per Section 82 of the Water Services Act. Introducing IRIS In the past two years, the BDS has been replaced by the Integrated Regulatory Information System (IRIS). Unlike the BDS system, which provided public viewing of the annual drinking water and effluent quality compliance, IRIS provides monthly compliance data. IRIS remains a useful resource with a user-friendly dashboard that reports on the following various water and effluent quality indices: Figure 1 Screenshot of IRIS showing water quality in Centurion, Tshwane – 19 August 2019