On 31 March 2022 the National Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) released the first Green Drop report since 2013.
The Green Drop Report provides an analysis of the current state of affairs of wastewater infrastructure and management in the country and also looks at the state of municipal wastewater treatment.
This year, the DWS Green Drop audit teams assessed 995 wastewater systems across 144 municipalities, 12 Department of Public Works branches, and five private and state-owned organisations.
Wastewater systems with total scores of 90% and higher obtained Green Drop status.
Only 23 of the 995 wastewater systems in South Africa achieved Green Drop certification, with another 30 Green Drop contenders.
To qualify for Green Drop Certification, a wastewater system needs to score ≥90% in criteria which includes Capacity Management, Environmental Management, Financial Management, Technical Management as well as Effluent and Sludge Compliance, with various sub-criteria under each KPA.
Overstrand Municipality achieved an overall 89% Green Drop score, with all six wastewater systems scoring between 88% and 89%, just short of Green Drop certification.
Overstrand’s total Green Drop score of 89% placed it in joint third position nationally and provincially, together with Drakenstein and Swartland, after Witzenberg (1st position) and Bitou (2nd position).
Municipal Manager for Overstrand, Dean O’Neill, congratulates the team for the consistent good performance and trust that the Municipality will receive Green Drop status next year by achieving a score of more than 90%.
The abstract from the DWS Green Drop Report 2021; specifically the section related to Overstrand Municipality can be found on page 100 and 101.
The Western Cape Green Drop Report can be downloaded at:
https://www.westerncape.gov.za/eadp/files/atoms/files/Western%20Cape%20Green%20Drop%20Report.pdf
