Jun 1, 2022 in Uncategorized
About a Quarter of SA’s Population or 17 Million People do not Have Safe Water to Drink, and it’s Getting Worse

The South African government’s latest Blue Drop report reveals that the tap water quality in 23% of South African municipalities is ranked at “critical risk”, with residents in some areas being warned to boil the water before drinking it as its safety cannot be assured. Databuild CEO Morag Evans was quoted in Infrastructure News on the quality of water in South Africa as saying that… “our country is continually plagued by poorly maintained pipelines, ageing, and faulty water treatment plants, and improperly managed water sources. Consider, for example, the recent crisis in Nelson Mandela Bay where the water was pronounced undrinkable owing to the presence of E.coli, the result of contamination at a water treatment plant. That it took four months to resolve the situation is shocking. And the same metro is now in danger of running out of water because of ongoing problems with the pump station infrastructure.”

Nelson Mandela Bay is not unique, Evans adds. “The number of dysfunctional water and wastewater treatment plants in South Africa is growing, yet there is a complete lack of urgency within government to do something about it.

“Rather than continuing to rely on outdated technologies for the treatment of water, the government should look to processes such as ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis and oxidation. These technologies – all of which are readily available in South Africa – have proven to be effective in coping with variations in the quality of raw water as a result of pollution and climate change.”

“South Africa’s water situation is critical, but we have the requisite expertise to manage our water resources efficiently and sustainably. It’s time we started doing so before it’s too late,” she concludes.

We at Filcon Filters are doing our best to promote the re-use and recycling of water. Check our website https://filconfilters.co.za/ to find out about our products.