Polokwane Municipality is committed to ensure that the quality of drinking water to the residents is of high quality and residents can check the status and compliance online.

As a Water Services Authority, the municipality has a responsibility to Manage Drinking Water Quality within its jurisdiction. This includes a constant supply of clean, safe drinking water to its communities. To supply clean and safe drinking water, the water has to be treated for harmful micro-organisms that can be harmful to the people and animals.

The treatment of drinking water includes Flocculation, Sedimentation, Filtration and Disinfection processes. During the treatment process, the operational tests are performed so that any deviations can be corrected then the final water after the Disinfection process is taken to the Municipal Laboratory for more comprehensive analysis that is mostly covering SANS 241:2006 Standard. Any minor deviations or non conformances are resolved within 24 hours and major incidents are given 72 hours to be resolved.

An average of 150 water samples from treatment plants, reservoirs, distribution network and boreholes are tested monthly for Microbiological and Chemical determinants for SANS 241:2006 Compliance. The Compliance Status shows 100% compliance on both Microbiological and Chemical determinants for Polokwane City over a period of June 2009 to December 2009.

To prevent contamination of ground water in areas where lower than 100% compliance has been discovered; the municipality in conjunction with Department of Water Affairs has introduced the VIP Toilets which are lined to attend to contamination of ground water.

Currently, the municipality is currently engaged in refurbishing the Municipal Laboratory and equipping it with new instruments and systems. The municipality has also beefed up the water monitoring program to cover all the areas within the Municipality.

The municipality is looking forward to achieve a Blue Drop Certification for the next assessment on Management of Drinking Water Quality by the Department of Water

Affairs. The Blue Drop certification is based around the SANS 241:2005 Drinking Water Quality Specification that is obtainable from the department’s website.
Residents can access the municipality’s Drinking Water Compliance Status on www.dwa.gov.za and any Drinking Water Quality enquiries or complains can be directed to the municipality on (015) 290 2385.

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Issued by Comms and PPU
Phuti Lekganyane
Tel: 015 290 2111
076 581 4616