/ MEDIA STATEMENT / The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

The City of Cape Town successfully maintained its Blue Drop status, achieving second place nationally, for the best-performing water services institution. Several awards were handed over to the City at a ceremony held by the National Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS). Read more below:

The City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Directorate was one of 26 water supply systems in South Africa that were able to achieve the Blue Drop status for 2023 with an increase in the directorate’s performance from 95,86% in 2014 to 98,12% in 2023. 

At the national Blue and No Drop awards ceremony, the City of Cape Town was honoured with the following:  

Overall performance of the Cape Town Water Supply System 

2nd place for best-performing water services system nationally and thereby maintaining Blue Drop Status for 2023 

2nd place for water conservation and demand management performance nationally (i.e. No Drop)

An award for Faure Water Treatment Plant (WTP) as the water treatment works with the Best Technical Site Assessment Score nationally (98%)

Contribution to the Drakenstein Local Municipality, for which the City of Cape Town is the bulk water services provider to the Hermon Water Supply System 

Blue Drop Report

The City’s Faure and Steenbras Water Treatment Plants were assessed during the Blue Drop Audit and achieved top scores at 98% and 93% respectively, for the condition of each plant’s drinking water infrastructure. 

The City also achieved excellent compliance against the South African National Drinking Water Standard (SANS241:2015), in both microbiological and chemical categories. 

The Blue Drop Report evaluates the status of drinking water systems by assessing:

• The condition of infrastructure to ensure ongoing maintenance;
• Correct operation and adherence to appropriate treatment processes;
• Implementation of proper monitoring and controls; and
• Continued operations by qualified and skilled staff
• No Drop Report 

The City’s achievement in ranking second in the country for water conservation and demand management performance was also celebrated.

The No Drop Report is an assessment of the degree to which drinking water distribution systems of municipalities supply water efficiently, without wastage.

Evaluation includes an assessment of physical water losses or leaks in the reticulation system, levels of non-revenue water and average per capita daily water consumption. There is also a review of proper maintenance of infrastructure to minimise wastage, the implementation of plans and strategies to decrease water losses, as well as the effectiveness of metering, billing, and revenue collection systems.

DWS held a regional awards recognition ceremony yesterday, 11 December 2023 at Hotel Verde, Airport Industria, where they officially handed over the relevant awards to the City of Cape Town. 

‘We are delighted with the phenomenal achievement of the Water and Sanitation Directorate at the Blue Drop awards. Achieving second place in South Africa for the best performing water services institution is proof of the City’s excellent drinking water quality. We encourage these independent audits as it allows the City to continuously improve water and sanitation services for the benefit of our residents.’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.

Read more about the City’s Water Quality here: https://rb.gy/r3uke

Issued by The City of Cape Town