Presentation to the Portfolio Committee of Water & Environmental Affairs

1. Presentation to the Portfolio Committee of Water & Environmental Affairs Waste Water Services in South Africa Presentation by: The Department of Water Affairs 11 May 2010 1

2. Waste Water Services Regulation • The Department intensified waste water services regulation with the objective of stimulating effective management and operations of waste water systems (collection + treatment). • Introducing additional means to facilitate improvement of waste water services: • Within a realm of funding constraints; • Outside of lengthy litigation processes; 2

3. Waste Water Services Regulation Parallel Mutual Initiatives • DWA embarked on a 3-pronged regulation approach regarding Waste Water Services: Incentive-based Regulation Green Drop Certification Enforcement Leading to Litigation Incl. Directives Risk-based Targeted Regulation Assess risks and prioritise appro. Intervention according to Cumulative Risk Rating 3

4. Conventional Regulation v.s. Green Drop Certification • Conventional Regulation • Effluent Quality Compliance Monitoring. • Process Controlling skills in terms of Regulation 2834 (Minimum Requirements). • Reactive action required once non-compliance is detected. • Incentive Based Regulation • A list of 11 criteria part of GD Certification process • Standards Set at levels of Excellence. • Benchmark set higher than usual (Essential Criteria for Excellent WW Management). • Considers/promotesSustainability of Waste Water Operations; includes a wider spectrum of elements towards the improvement of Management and Operations. • A more proactive approach. 4

5. Green Drop Certification 2009 5

6. What is the Green Drop Report? • It’s the end-product of the Waste Water Services Incentive-based Regulation. • To give public recognition to those institutions/municipalities that proved excellence during assessment. • But also to serve as a waste water management performance barometer, in terms of stringent criteria set. • The report focus on Waste Water Services Management; instead of only looking at: • Functionality of WWTW; • State of Infrastructure; etc. • The Green Drop process marks an important milestone with a significant improvement in understanding of waste water management and operations aspects amongst managers and decision-makers. 6

7. Incentive-based Regulation Green Drop Certification Incentive-based Regulation • Transparently Facilitating the indication of Regulator’s confidence in municipal waste water services management. • Status achieved if wastewater services comply with relevant legislation and good practice requirements, as measured according to a set of stringent criteria: 7

8. Green Drop Criteria • Each criterion has been carefully selected to promote excellence. • While Effluent Quality remains the most prominent criterion (35% weighting), other elements such as Process Controlling skills; Treatment Capacity; Bylaws to protect the sewer operations, etc, contribute towards a more holistic management approach in stead of the traditional monitoring alone. 8

9. 2009 Green Drop Performance 53% 9

10. Waste Water ServicesRisk Abatement Risk-based Targeted Regulation Assess risks and prioritiseappro. Intervention according to Cumulative Risk Rating 10

11. Targeted Risk-based Regulation Required a credible and scientific information base re the status of the entire municipal wastewater treatment in SA. • treatment technology • design capacity (hydraulic) and receiving flow • license status • plant classification • longitude/latitude • Reg 2834 skills required versus actual • OHS appointments and compliance • effluent quality compared to permitted standards • receiving water resource 11

12. Distribution of Municipal WWTWs in SA While macro and large WWTWs account for about 17% of the number of plants, it is responsible for about 60% of the total volume of effluent discharged. Small & Micro plants were found to be responsible for 10% of the total daily effluent but account 46% of the number of WWTWs in the country. This implies that Large and Macro works should be regarded as high risk facilities. 24% 12

13. Inflow into small WWTW exceeds Design cacapcity by almost 100% 49Ml/d • Larger Plant spare capacity might look • look promising but reduced cap • as result of maintenance rundown • and ineffective operations 24% 13

14. 14

15. Waste Water Improvement Actions Undertaken 1 • Waste Water Risk Abatement Regulation Initiative • The risk-based targeted approach required the assessment of all WSAs in the country; • Each Water Services Authority was supplied with their own waste water risk profile; to inform development planning (WSDP & IDP processes). • Turn around possible through these targets ; (Local Government Turn Around Strategy [LGTAS]). • This process revealed that Waste Water Capacity and Optimization should never be considered in isolation as it is closely related to water demand management, revenue enhancement and integrated asset management. 15

16. Waste Water Improvement Actions Undertaken 2 • Localised Risk Abatement Initiative (Berg River); • A joint effort is made between 6 municipalities (discharging into Berg catchment) • University of Stellenbosch & WRC is to partner this initiative • Two UK waste water specialists assisted the Municipalities to do proper risk assessments and to develop Waste Water Risk Abatement Plans (WWRAP). • DWA Regional Office is leading/facilitating this process with support from National. • All of the 6 received Notices of Non-compliance in terms of Section 19 of NWA. • To date 4 of the 6 made significant progress • The next compliance assessment is due in June. • Similar initiatives will commence in other catchments. 16

17. Waste Water Improvement Actions Undertaken 3 • Partnered Provincial initiatives to intensify Municipal Management focus on Waste Water Management; • Gauteng MEC (Local Government) hosted a meeting with all mayors • Mpumalanga: partnership between the Netherlands and Provincial Government (incl. DWA) • DBSA deployed engineers under the Siyenza Manje initiative to avail technical skills to relevant municipalities • Programmes have been developed to address skills shortage through the Learning Academy and other programs e.g. World Water Monitoring Day • Process controllers trained in Gauteng with funds from LGSETA 17

18. Other Noteworthy Initiatives • As South Africa is facing major waste water challenges it has moved to the foreground of innovative regulatory approaches, South Africa now participates in the development of international ISO standards for effluent discharge limits and re-use practices (SABS with DWA input). • The Waste Water Risk Abatement Plan (W2RAP) initiative has been noted by Regulators affiliated to the World Health Organization for their input. WRC has committed to subject this for pier review by November 2010. 18

19. Waste Water Services Turn Around PlanThe way forward 1 • Continuation and Intensifying of the Waste Water Risk Abatement Programme; • Implementation on a national basis with the target to provide for a pragmatic risk reduction initiative by every Municipality in the country. • Infrastructure Refurbishment initiatives – including Regional Bulk Fund • Setting of practical targets for improvement. • Targeted Coaching Programme. • Utilise a highly specialized skills resource pool to coach current placements • Option of Practical Training Centers to be established at indentified excellent municipal treatment facilities 19

20. Waste Water Services Turn Around PlanThe way forward 2 • Introduction of Alternative Waste Water Treatment technologies. • Continuation and Intensifying of Regulatory Intervention including litigation. • Waste Water Awareness Programme for municipalities and the public • Contracting public or private providers to operate and maintain where municipality fails. • Alternative Refurbishment Funding Options. 20

21. Green Drop 2010/11 • Workshop 20 May 2010 • Training of Assessors. 100 applications (June 2010) • Allocation of WSAs to Assessment Panels • Pre-Assessments and Site Audits (July – Aug 2010) • Final Assessments (end Sept – Nov 2010) 21

22. Green Drop Certification sets Targets of Excellence opposed to the conventional strive towards compliance with Minimum Requirements. We have established the benchmark- Turn Around is possible! THANKS