By Lucky Sindane
FOR just one day international attention will focus on water, the essence of life, during World Water Monitoring Day on Saturday 18 October.
And Johannesburg's water and sanitation company, Johannesburg Water will join other providers around the world in educating consumers about the essential resource. This is the second year that a day has been set aside to highlight the need to safeguard the scarce resource.
"In some parts of the world people do not have access to clean water and that puts their lives and health at stake," said JW's communications and marketing manager, Jameel Chand.
However, that was not the case in Johannesburg. According to Chand the tap water in the city is amongst the purest in the world. The company's Cydna laboratory conducts an intensive water-testing programme, checking on the quality of the city's tap water, treated waste water, ground and surface water, industrial effluent and borehole water.
Tests have been carried out on the water that supplies the whole of Johannesburg over the past two years, JW said.
More than 500 water samples are tested every month to make sure they meet the SA Bureau of Standards criteria. According to JW, over 4 000 investigations are done monthly, with 46 different factors being checked including the mineral and chemical content of the water sample.
"The results confirm that Johannesburg's water is among the best in the world," the company said. "Johannesburg is the only city where you don't have to think twice about drinking the tap water. Our water is 100 percent clean," said Chand.
The company has six waste water treatment plants where all the domestic sewage - some 850-million litres - and industrial effluent is treated. The works are monitored daily, complying with standards set down by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry.
JW's laboratories test more than 3 500 samples a month. "The works have improved the overall compliance with DWAF standards from 85 percent to 95 percent and assisted in reducing the amount of power and chemicals used," JW said.
About 150 factories discharge large quantities of effluent into JW's sewers. "All industrial effluents from these factories are monitored to ensure that they are not dangerous and that they are not toxic and to enable the charging of tariffs for pollutants discharged to sewers." Borehole water is also monitored by JW, with the water from 66 boreholes being tested monthly.
"Residents who own boreholes are welcome to have their water monitored and analysed at our Cydna laboratory at their own costs. This also applies to commercial fish farmers hobbyists with koi and goldfish pond water and as well as swimming pool owners," said Chand
Water tanks in informal settlements are now also part of the JW monitoring programme. "We have started sampling water tanks in all informal settlements around the city," Chand added.
For more information on water monitoring contact JW's Cydna Laboratory at 011 728 7373
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