Municipal water quality in the context of the state of South Africa's infrastructure

Abstract

In 2006 the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE) released the first ever “report card” of the state of engineering infrastructure in South Africa. This report highlighted “the observations of the professionals responsible for the planning, construction, operation and maintenance of our nation’s life-support system”. It graded infrastructure on a scale from A+ through E-. The purpose of the report card was to draw the attention of government, and of the public at large, to the importance of maintenance, and to factors underlying the state of repair of infrastructure – factors such as skills and finance, for example. The SAICE 2011 Infrastructure Report Card, released in April updates the gradings and indicates the trend since 2006. Underlying reasons for performance are discussed. Water quality management must be seen in the context of the management of South Africa's infrastructure. Conversely, measures to improve water quality management will often be the same measures needed to improve the management of other infrastructure.