Ineffective planning, poor project management and corruption are some of the factors negatively impacting on project delivery and, in effect, “standing in the way” of the provision of quality water and sanitation services to South Africans, the Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation warns.

This emerged during the Department of Water and Sanitation’s (DWS’s) 2025/26 annual performance plan and budget briefing to the committee last month.

“The impediments within the water value chain are man-made and require urgent corrective action. The entire sector is well aware of the challenges; what is needed now is concomitant action to save the sector and ensure the provision of quality water and sanitation for all,” Portfolio Committee on Water and Sanitation chairperson Leon Basson said.

While now under way, long-delayed surface water resource development projects, such as the Lesotho Highlands Water Project Phase II (LHWP II) and the raising of the Clanwilliam dam wall, have hindered access to the projects’ economic spin-offs. The delays, along with projected cost overruns, have placed a further burden on the State.

There is a need for effective planning, budgeting and implementation to avoid cost escalation and unjustified delays.

Basson cited Trans Caledon Tunnel Authority projections that additional funding will be required for LHWP II, as construction cost estimates have increased from R42-billion to R53-billion.

“The continued challenges and underperformance by municipalities regarding water and sanitation provision cannot be ignored and [remain] unresolved if the budget is to be effective,” he said.

He further added that the Blue Drop report’s finding of an increase, from 5% in 2014 to 46% in 2023, in the number of water supply systems with poor or bad microbiological water quality compliance – meaning that the water is not safe to drink – was unacceptable.

Similarly, the Green Drop report revealed that the percentage of municipal wastewater systems in critical condition, discharging partially treated or untreated sewage into rivers, increased from 30% in 2013 to 39% in 2022, while the No Drop report found that the national average for municipal nonrevenue water increased from 37% in 2014 to 47% in 2023.

“While the committee welcomed the formation of a nationally coordinated task team to review service delivery mechanisms for water and sanitation services, in an effort to address the decline of these services as outlined in Blue Drop, Green Drop and No Drop reports, it has called for tangible action as the development of another set of recommendations without action will not remedy the situation.”

The Portfolio Committee further expects tangible action, over the medium term, to address the escalating debt within the water value chain, advocating for the withholding of equitable share to ensure that municipalities pay water boards for services rendered.

“The effectiveness of the water value chain is dependent on the payment of services. It is high time that defaulters are forced to pay to ensure that the system is self-sufficient and able to reinvest the resources in the development of new infrastructure that caters for increased demand,” Basson commented.

The committee also called for the implementation of water conservation and demand management initiatives to ensure that the country is in line with international consumption levels.

He highlighted the City of Cape Town’s effective and constant communication that successfully reduced demand to acceptable standards, and urged all municipalities to adopt that model to ensure reduced consumption.

The committee also called for a short- to medium-term plan to overcome the skills shortage in the sector that is negatively affecting effective functioning.

“The committee is of the view that this challenge has been longstanding and requires a renewed collaboration with the Department of Higher Education on how the educational sector can contribute to producing the required skills set within the water value chain,” Basson said.

Meanwhile, the Portfolio Committee welcomed the DWS’s reduction of its underexpenditure against its budget in recent years from the R2.5-billion, or 14.3% of the budget in 2021/22, to R860-million, or 5% of the budget, under-expenditure in 2022/23, and again in 2023/24, when there was R44-million, or 0.2% of the budget, underexpenditure.

The preliminary year-end report for the 2024/25 financial year indicates that the underexpenditure was below 0.1% of the budget.

“While the reduction is welcomed . . . wastages must be eliminated and procurement should always be above board,” Basson concluded.

The committee committed to the continuous monitoring of the implementation of the yearly performance plan with a view to ensuring speedy implementation of projects.