2014 Blue Drop Report

The 2014 Blue Drop Report evaluates the performance of 1,036 drinking water supply systems across South Africa's Water Services Authorities (WSAs) for the 2013 calendar year. While microbiological compliance is high, the national average Blue Drop score declined from 87.6% in 2012 to 79.6% in 2014, and the number of systems achieving Blue Drop certification dropped from 98 to 44. The report highlights critical needs for improvement in chemical compliance, water use efficiency, and asset management across various provinces.

• The national average Blue Drop score experienced a decline of 8%, falling from 87.6% in 2012 to 79.6% in 2014. This decline is attributed to factors such as the introduction of 'No Drop' criteria for managing water losses and limited application of water safety planning.
• Drinking water quality compliance shows a disparity between microbiological and chemical standards; over 80% of supply systems comply with microbiological standards per SANS 241: 2006, but only 24% show consistent chemical compliance.
• The number of water supply systems achieving Blue Drop certification status decreased by 55%, with only 44 systems attaining the status in 2014 compared to 98 in 2012.
• Asset management practices are applied well in 68% of systems, but 48% of treatment plants are operating at 75% or more of their design capacity, indicating a need to review design capacities.
• The Blue Drop risk rating (BDRR) showed significant overall improvement, with systems in the low risk category increasing from 16 in 2013 to 365 in 2014, while those in the critical risk category fell from 234 to 26.
• Provincial performance varies widely: Gauteng leads with a score of 92%, followed by Western Cape (89%) and KwaZulu-Natal (86%), while Limpopo (62%) and North West (63%) are the lowest performing provinces.

APA

GreenCape (2014). 2014 Blue Drop Report. https://greencape.co.za/assets/Sector-files/water/Department-of-Water-and-Sanitation-DWS/DWS-2014-Blue-Drop-report-executive-summary-2016.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. 2014 Blue Drop Report. 2014. https://greencape.co.za/assets/Sector-files/water/Department-of-Water-and-Sanitation-DWS/DWS-2014-Blue-Drop-report-executive-summary-2016.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=2014 Blue Drop Report |date=2014 |url=https://greencape.co.za/assets/Sector-files/water/Department-of-Water-and-Sanitation-DWS/DWS-2014-Blue-Drop-report-executive-summary-2016.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencape20142014, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{2014 Blue Drop Report}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2014}, url = {https://greencape.co.za/assets/Sector-files/water/Department-of-Water-and-Sanitation-DWS/DWS-2014-Blue-Drop-report-executive-summary-2016.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }