The bucket system programme in formal areas will be a thing of the past by the end of 2015‚ Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane said on Monday.

About 88% of South Africans have access to clean drinkable water and almost 78% have access to decent sanitation‚ Mokonyane claimed.

“Plans are under way‚” she said‚ “to explore and exhaust alternative solutions to reduce pressure on water resources and ensure that the remaining percentage is also served.”

Her department‚ the statement said‚ aims to achieve a 15% reduction in water losses over the current financial year and “intends to conclude the eradication of the bucket system programme in formal areas by December 2015”.

“The use of ground and surface water through the digging of boreholes as well as rainwater harvesting as a major source of water is one of the interventions that the department is looking to harness‚” Mokonyane said.

She also said the department is currently paying “significant attention to the issues of acid mine drainage‚ especially in the Gauteng province”; and that it is “fully aware of the fact that the inability to deal with issues of operations and maintenance also compromises the water quality hence the current focus on water licensing processes and regulation of the sector by the department”.