[vc_row default_id=”themesflat_1516585553″ el_class=”aboutus-timeline” css=”.vc_custom_1630440106602{padding-top: 52px !important;padding-bottom: 52px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][themesflat_title_section title_margin_bottom=”10px” show_line=”1″ title=”Regulatory Environment” css=”.vc_custom_1630531253521{margin-bottom: 33px !important;}”]Global Perspective

Deteriorating water quality is evident all over the world, in both developed and developing countries. The problem is further exacerbated by the fact that reliable and representative water quality data are not available in vast majority of countries of the world. Biswas and Tortajada, C (2019) assessed that in most countries the trend has been one of steady deterioration in quality of water bodies, which has been visible for several decades.  Globally, at least four billion people do not have access to water that is safe to drink, or that it is perceived as not safe to drink without point-of-use treatment systems.  As an example, in the entire South Asian region of over 1.7 billion people, it is difficult to find one city, town or village where the majority of the people think the tap water is safe to drink, without any health concerns. This includes developed countries, ranging from France to the United States, where fewer and fewer people are drinking water directly from the tap because of quality concerns and sociocultural conditions.

While recent global focus has been on water as a human right, discussions have been primarily framed in terms of access to water whereas the quality of water has rarely been a major consideration. This is further reflected in the fact that collection of wastewater and its proper treatment are still not receiving adequate attention –  in the developing world, fewer than 10% of all people have access to wastewater collection and its proper treatment. It is estimated that, globally, one in eight persons are at high risk of water pollution from biochemical oxygen demand; one in six are at high risk from nitrogen pollution, and one in four from phosphorous pollution (International Food Policy Research Institute & Veolia, 2015)[2]. The Global Burden of Disease study (GBD 2015 Risk Factors Collaborators, 2016)[3] estimated that, in 2015, 1,800,000 people died from diseases related to water pollution

Steadily deteriorating water quality conditions have significant economic and environmental costs, health and environmental consequences including millions of human lives lost.  A cost-effective management system is required based on identified water quality parameters and monitored on a regular basis so that human and ecosystem health is not compromised. The results of will determine whether there are any problems, or signs of any emerging problems.

South African Perspective

The Constitution of South African contains several provisions that give direction to the water and sanitation sector. The values of the Constitution include those of human dignity, the achievement of equality and the advancement of human rights and freedoms. The Constitution states that:

Everyone has the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being; and to have the environment protected, for the benefit of present and future generations, through reasonable legislative and other measures that:

  • prevent pollution and ecological degradation
  • promote conservation and
  • secure ecologically sustainable development and use of natural resources while promoting justifiable economic and social development.

Everyone has the right to have access to sufficient food and water.

These constitutional imperatives, combined with the national water and sanitation policy papers, the National Water Act and the Water Services Act, give the mandate to the water sector to:

  • Provide universal and equitable access to reliable water supply and sanitation services
  • Protect, manage and develop the nation’s water resources in a manner that supports justifiable and ecologically sustainable economic and social development
  • Transform access to water to redress the racial imbalances created by apartheid.

Department of Water and Sanitation. National water and Sanitation Master Plan. Volume 1. Call to Action version 10.1.

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