The quality of South Africa’s drinking water has declined alongside water and sanitation service delivery. These are among some of the key findings of the Watch Reports released by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) in Pretoria on Tuesday.
The three Watch Reports — Green Drop, Blue Drop and No Drop — are regulatory mechanisms the department uses to monitor the quality and service delivery of water and sanitation by municipalities, alongside water conservation and demand management.
The Green Drop report specifically looks at the state of wastewater systems, while the Blue Drop looks at the quality of drinking, and the No Drop assesses the distribution of drinking water.
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After a hiatus of almost a decade, the reports are back, with the full Blue Drop report expected in July. The full No Drop report is expected to be released in September and an interim Green Drop report is scheduled for release in July. DM