Household water security:
the real challenge and a
pragmatic solution
In more than two decades of democracy, South Africa has made huge strides
in water services provision. By Dr Tally Palmer, director Institute for Water
Research and specialist researcher at Unilever Centre for Environmental
Water Quality, Rhodes University.
D
espite the public messages of dissatisfaction through
ongoing protests, many people have much better access
to water in their homes than before. In addition, and in
certain instances, the public also has access to water from
standpipes and by sharing neighbours’ taps.
When looking at specific provinces like the
Eastern Cape to examine primary sources of water
in Nomathamsanqa, for example, the following
is outlined:
Nomathamsanqa primary source
Household categories Tap in the
house
RDP
Formal township
Informal
All categories (mean %) 17%
30%
0%
16%
Community Neigh-
standpipe
bour’s gar-
den tap
14%
70%
10%
0%
13%
67%
12%
46%
Tap in the
garden
0%
60%
20%
27%
The primary sources of water in Vukani, Eastern Cape:
Household category
RDP
Tap in the
house
58%
Own water tank Tap in the garden
1% 41%
These results show a variation in the extent of primary water
sources available to households, with the Vukani residents
having near universal access (99%) to taps in or near the
household. The figure in Nomathamsanqa was far lower
for informal settlement residents who were reliant on a
neighbour’s garden tap.
With that said, does that mean we can ignore public
protests? Ignore the people struggling desperately to
care for the elderly in homes without water for days and
weeks at a time? Ignore the moms with children who miss
days of school because of diarrhoeal disease? Ignore the
women who still move household water by hippo-roller,
wheelbarrows or on their heads?
Definitely not. Our research shows clearly that, in South
Africa, smaller municipalities struggle most with reliable
household water supply. There are many reasons for this
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Water Sewage & Effluent May/June 2017
and it seems that as soon as one cause is addressed,
another kicks in and the taps remain dry. Some of these
causes are well known. I have examined more specifically
the challenges behind the interrupted water supply in the
community of Sundays River Valley Local Municipality in the
Eastern Cape:
• Historically, water infrastructure focused on irrigation
for an export orange industry, which is still thriving.
There are canals, pipes, and established farmers who
‘order’ their water according to a careful schedule,
which is then released for their use. Following the
advent of a democratic South Africa, the irrigation
water supply and infrastructure were meant to refocus
and actively cooperate with local municipalities to
supply the entire population with a reliable water
supply. This highlighted that there was not enough
water storage infrastructure in the town for any ‘spare’
water supply. Following which, if the town failed
to ‘order’ its water in good time, water in the town
reservoir would run out and supply would cease. This
resulted in pumps drying out and, therefore, failing
to work.
• Overall, the challenges led to a poor relationship
between the irrigation suppliers and the municipality,
and little communication from either party. To solve
the challenges, irrigation staff needed to then work
overtime and be compensated as such.
• Levels of poverty and unemployment are high in the
region. Despite the benefits of the local citrus industry,
a challenge arose where citrus farmers opted to use
labour brokers to bring in seasonal labour during peak
periods, rather than to negotiate employment with the
local community.
• Looking at the financial challenges, income to the
municipality was low and procurement processes were
complex and demanding. People who qualified for free
basic water did not register. People with some income
often failed to pay for services. In addition, funds from
the municipal infrastructure grant were not easily ring-
fenced to address water challenges.