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The Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation has expressed concern over Water Services Authorities’ (WSAs) continued non-compliance in submitting and implementing corrective action plans, warning that this undermines commitments made at the National Water and Sanitation Indaba.

The committee today received a briefing on the 2025 Full Green Drop, Blue Drop and No Drop Progress Reports.

“The state of the water value chain requires a commitment from all role-players to implement the resolutions adopted at the indaba. The inability or unwillingness to implement those commitments will undermine efforts to improve the system, reduce non-revenue water, rehabilitate infrastructure and restore wastewater systems to full functionality,” said the Chairperson of the committee, Mr Leon Basson.

The committee noted that the legislative amendments proposed in the Water Services Amendment Bill will empower the Department of Water and Sanitation to act against WSAs that fail to implement corrective measures. The committee emphasised that municipalities must treat current water challenges with the seriousness they deserve and demonstrate this through the development and implementation of corrective action plans.

A Water Services Authority, as defined in the Water Services Act, is any municipality responsible for ensuring access to water services. It may also perform the functions of a water services provider or enter into joint ventures with other water services institutions to provide water services.

The committee stressed that corrective action plans are particularly important in light of the findings of the 2025 Green Drop Progress Report. The report indicates that the percentage of wastewater systems in a critical state increased from 39% (334 systems) in the 2022 Green Drop Report to 47% (396 systems) in 2025. At the same time, systems classified as excellent or good performers (above 80%) declined from 14% (118 systems) in 2022 to only 8% (66 systems) in 2025.

With regard to drinking water quality, the committee welcomed the marginal improvement reflected in the 2025 Blue Drop Report. The proportion of low-risk systems increased from 60.2% to 61.9%, while critical-risk systems declined from 9.9% to 7.9%.

However, the committee remains concerned that the national average level of non-revenue water has remained virtually unchanged at 47.3%, compared with 47.4% in the 2023 Full No Drop Report.

“This points to a system that remains in crisis and requires a hands-on approach to turn it around. It is deeply concerning that there appears to be a nonchalant attitude towards addressing identified weaknesses. Water Services Authorities must treat these risks as urgent and requiring focused attention. Failure to do so could result in the complete collapse of the water value chain,” Mr Basson warned.

The committee also raised concerns about the continued pollution of rivers and streams, particularly as a result of poorly maintained municipal wastewater treatment systems. It called on the Department of Water and Sanitation to continue engaging with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the Office of the Chief Justice on the possibility of establishing specialised environmental courts to ensure the effective prosecution of environmental offences.

In addition, the committee highlighted the persistent shortage of skilled personnel required to operate wastewater systems, noting that this directly affects the functionality and operational efficiency of the sector. The committee was informed that, of the 2 431 process controllers required nationally, only 1 151 are currently employed. There is also a shortage of 84 supervisors across the system.

“This remains a serious indictment on the sector and undermines efforts to improve performance. For example, the Free State faces a process controller shortage of 68%, while the Northern Cape has a shortfall of 82%. These figures illustrate the significant risks facing the sector if urgent action is not taken,” said Mr Basson.

Despite these concerns, the committee welcomed the continuation of the Green Drop, Blue Drop and No Drop assessment programmes, noting that they provide a clear picture of the state of the sector and enable targeted interventions in areas of weakness.

The committee further noted that it looks forward to receiving the next full assessment report, expected in 2027.

Issued by Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of the chairperson of the portfolio committee on Water and Sanitation, Leon Basson