 | Drakenstein Municipality impresses with overall Municipal Blue Drop Score of 94.1%
19 December 2023 | Press Releases |
19 December 2023Drakenstein Municipality has aced Blue Drop certifications for both its Welvanpas Water Treatment Works and Hermon Water Supply System, scoring an impressive 96% and 95.7% respectively. This took place at the Water and Wastewater Awards Ceremony held by the National Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) in Gauteng earlier in December.
In addition, the Municipality earned a No Drop Award as well as a third place nationally in the category Best Technical Site for its Welvanpas Water Treatment Works, located in Wellington.
Drakenstein Municipality received an overall Municipal Blue Drop Score of 94.1%.
The Blue Drop and No Drop Certification programmes, implemented by national government, are tools to provide regulatory information regarding water services, which are largely the constitutional responsibility of municipalities.
According to the DWS, the Blue Drop programme aims to ensure compliance of water supply systems with the national drinking water quality standards, while the No Drop regulatory programme was established to encourage the management of water losses through the DWS water conservation and demand management programme.
“The Blue Drop status awards, which we are thrilled to receive, bear testimony to the hard work, consistency and dedication of our teams to ensure that we can deliver drinking water of excellent quality to our residents," said Alderman Conrad Poole, Executive Mayor of Drakenstein Municipality. “The Municipality also received an 82% score in the No Drop category, which means we are serious about not wasting water in Drakenstein."
To be awarded Blue Drop status, a municipality should score between 95% and 100% in the assessment of the state of their drinking water systems, including wastewater treatment works and municipal water distribution systems. The following aspects were assessed:
- The condition of the infrastructure;
- Whether the required maintenance is being done on the infrastructure;
- Whether the infrastructure is operated correctly;
- Whether the proper treatment processes are followed;
- Whether proper monitoring and controls are in place; and
- Whether the staff have the necessary skills and qualifications.
The No Drop report assessed the degree to which the drinking water distribution systems of municipalities supply water efficiently, without wasting water. It also covers water conservation and demand management. The assessment was based on the following criteria:
- levels of physical water losses in the system (for example through leaks in pipes);
- levels of non-revenue water;
- the average amount of water used per capita per day;
- whether infrastructure is being maintained properly to minimise wastage;
- the existence of plans and strategies to reduce water losses; and
- the effectiveness of metering, billing and revenue collection systems.
“Residents can rest assured that Drakenstein Municipality is determined to uphold these standards and even score higher in the years to come. We know the importance of high-quality drinking water – it is what we believe our communities deserve - and we always strive towards excellent service delivery," said Alderman Poole.
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Issued by: Communication and Marketing, Drakenstein Municipality
For media enquiries, contact: Riana Geldenhuys, Manager: Communication and Marketing, Drakenstein Municipality, on 021 807 6390, 082 460 5554 or rianag@drakenstein.gov.za.
