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Tracing the journey of a drinking water drop’ – Winners of the Water Movie Award 2011
If this where our water comes from, how good is its quality by the time it reaches us?
Water quality is determined by the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is a measure of the condition of water relative to the requirements of one or more biotic species and to any human need or purpose. Unlike most destinations where tourists have to buy bottled water, South Africa’s tap water is of high quality and compares favourably with that of leading industrialised nations.
In 2009, the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs reassured South Africans that the country’s tap water was safe to drink. According to the department, an average 3000 samples are taken nationwide from water supply systems. The 2009 results indicated that on average 94% of the analyses met with the health aspects of the national standard for drinking water quality whose monthly reporting indicates that “98% of all samples taken comply with the health aspects” as listed in SANS (South African National Standards) 241: 2006.
However, in recent years the drinking water in South Africa has deteriorated. The main factors contributing to this are salinization (build up of salt in soils), eutrophication (excessive richness of nutrients), disease-causing micro-organisms and acidification (process of becoming acidic or being converted into an acid). South Africa is also facing a water supply crisis caused by a combination of low rainfall, high evaporation rates, an expanding economy and a growing population whose geographical demands for water do not conform to the distribution of exploitable water supplies.
Without fast improvement in water quality management approaches and treatment technologies, the quality of water will continue to deteriorate, thus decreasing the benefits and increasing the costs associated with the use of South Africa’s water resources.
Rand Water is a bulk water service, committed to improving this growing issue in South Africa, by focusing on the purification process of water so it is of higher quality to drink. Rand Water’s distribution network covers over 3,056 kilometres of large diameter pipeline, feeding 58 strategically located service reservoirs. Its customers include metropolitan municipalities, local municipalities, mines and industries and it supplies, on average, 3, 653 million litres of water to these customers daily.
To ensure high quality, Rand Water use a conventional treatment process to remove the suspended material and disinfect the water prior to pumping to local authorities. Rand Water also have a Community Based Project Department (CBPD). The department aim to promote the integration of water and sanitation projects, focusing on underprivileged communities, by giving them priority to Rand Water supply.
The Rand Water community education programme has been set up to drive awareness and educate councilors, schools, and community organizations from within the areas of Rand Water supply by touring the Zuikerbosch Pumping Station in Vereeniging. Here they can learn about potable water processing, and why and how to conserve water in daily life. For example, did you know that it takes 140 litres to make a cup of coffee? To put it in perspective, the average healthy amount of recommended drinking water per person per day is 1.5-3 litres. Here are some other eye-openers:
- One T-shirt = 2, 700 litres of water
- A pair of Jeans = 6,000 litres of water
- A piece of paper = 10 litres of water
- One hamburger = 2, 400 litres of water
To find out how much water your household consumes a day, you can follow this link and use the water calculator. For example, take shorter showers, only use your washing machine or dishwasher for full loads and monitor your water bill for unusual high use. For more tips to conserve water, you can follow this link.