2014 Blue Drop Report

The 2014 Blue Drop Report indicates a decline in national drinking water management performance, with the average score dropping from 87.6% in 2012 to 79.6% in 2014. While microbiological compliance remains high, chemical compliance and water loss management are identified as critical areas for improvement across various provinces.

• The national average Blue Drop score decreased by 8%, falling from 87.6% in 2012 to 79.6% in 2014. The number of systems achieving Blue Drop status also dropped significantly from 98 in 2012 to 44 in 2014.
• Drinking water quality compliance shows a disparity between microbiological and chemical standards; over 80% of systems comply with microbiological standards per SANS 241: 2006, but only 24% show consistent chemical compliance.
• Asset management practices are applied by 68% of systems, but 48% of treatment plants are operating at 75% or more of their design capacity, posing an operational risk.
• The introduction of 'No Drop' criteria to measure water use efficiency and loss management revealed poor performance, with only 30 systems achieving 100% compliance.
• The Blue Drop Risk Rating (BDRR) showed overall national improvement, with systems in the low risk category increasing from 16 in 2013 to 365 in 2014, while critical risk systems decreased from 234 to 26.
• Provincial performance varied, with Gauteng leading with a score of 92% and 97% of systems in the low risk category, while Limpopo and North West lagged with scores of 62% and 63% respectively.

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} }