Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning

The Department assesses water resilience based on a combination of system performance, risk exposure, and the effectiveness of water resource management - particularly during periods of stress such as drought.
In this context, municipalities that demonstrated strong water resilience are those that successfully maintained stable water supply or recovered to a normal water supply regime without prolonged periods of water shedding/rationing.
All municipalities are currently able to sustain supply and maintain acceptable service levels due to diversified water resource portfolios, effective demand management, and proactive drought planning. More work will however be required to maintain the status quo due to the increase in water demand associated with population and economic growth and the impact of climate change on water supply.
Municipalities located in the Garden Route and Central Karoo Districts experienced significantly higher levels of water stress during the past summer season. These areas required stricter interventions due to constrained water resources and climatic variability.
(b)
The Department applies a range of indicators to assess municipal performance on water resilience, including:
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Water demand vs supply predictions;
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Real and non-revenue water losses;
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Implementation of Water Conservation and Water Demand Management (WC/WDM) programmes;
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Infrastructure maintenance and asset management practices;
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Diversification of water sources (e.g. groundwater, desalination, reuse);
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Responsiveness to drought conditions and the existence of contingency plans;
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Application of by-laws, water restrictions and drought water tariffs
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Compliance with regulatory requirements and reporting standards.
(c)
Factors contributing to the strong performance of these municipalities include:
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Strong technical and managerial capacity;
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Proactive long-term planning and investment in infrastructure;
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Funded preventative maintenance plans;
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Application of best practice in asset management;
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Implementation of systems and standard operating procedures
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Effective complaints management system and compliance in terms of service delivery charters;
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Effective monitoring systems and data-driven decision-making;
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Political and administrative stability;
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Public awareness campaigns and active community engagement on water conservation.
(d)
Best practices that can be replicated across other municipalities include:
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Implementation of advanced leak detection and pressure management systems;
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Active water conservation and demand management programmes;
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Development of alternative water sources;
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Use of digital monitoring systems and smart metering;
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Integrated water resource management and risk-based planning.
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Updated sector plans such as water and sewer master plans, stormwater management plans through informed climatic and hydrological analysis at catchment level.
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Enforced bylaws towards water conservation strategies.
(e)
The Department provides support to underperforming municipalities through:
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Targeted technical support and capacity building initiatives;
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Development and implementation of turnaround and action plans;
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Financial and programme support through provincial and national initiatives;
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Collaboration with the Department of Water and Sanitation and other stakeholders;
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Ongoing monitoring, evaluation and reporting to track progress and ensure accountability.