Abstract
Without the planning of non-technical issues, water treatment plants may face challenges in sustaining safe drinking water. Parameters such as the planning of financial resources, human resources, a lack of professional process controllers, poor working conditions, staff shortages and a lack of appropriate training of process controllers contribute to the underperformance of drinking water treatment plants. This study aimed at applying the Diagnostic Tool for Non-Technical Compliance to assess the compliance of small drinking water plants with management norms. Six water treatments (Vondo water scheme, Malamulele, Mutshedzi, Mutale regional water treatment plant, Tshedza and Tshedza package plant) were selected from the Vhembe district municipality of the Limpopo province in South Africa. From the abovementioned non-technical parameters, the results showed that during the first assessment period (August 2008 and June 2009) selected water treatment plants scored between 53% and 68% and fell under Class 2, indicating serious challenges requiring attention and improvement. During the second assessment period (November and December 2010), a slight improvement was observed as all plants scored between 72% and 80%, falling under the Class 2 category. Even after corrective actions and remeasurement, none of the plants met the compliance standards, which range from 90% to 100% to obtain the Class 1 compliance standard. The study recommended that tactical and strategic plans that clearly define the operational procedures, process controlling, financial planning, maintenance culture, emergency preparedness and regular monitoring and evaluation should be entrenched for the smooth running of the small water treatment plants. Furthermore, all water services providers and water services authorities should apply the diagnostic tools as developed, which provides guidance on a stepwise procedure on plant operations and management on a daily basis.
Highlights
IntroductionEffective auditing of the management components that play an important role in the sustainability of water treatment plants is critical for the treatment and supply of safe drinking water to communities
Effective auditing of the management components that play an important role in the sustainability of water treatment plants is critical for the treatment and supply of safe drinking water to communities.These components include management issues and practices, human resources, financial aspect, communication systems in place, safety, health and environmental quality (SHEQ), as well as the community involvement and awareness [1]
This study suggests a need for the development of comprehensive and preventive drinking water quality measures that should be implemented in the Vhembe district municipality in accordance with the water safety plans, as indicated by Davison et al [23]
Summary
Effective auditing of the management components that play an important role in the sustainability of water treatment plants is critical for the treatment and supply of safe drinking water to communities. These components include management issues and practices, human resources, financial aspect, communication systems in place, safety, health and environmental quality (SHEQ), as well as the community involvement and awareness [1]. Potential areas for capacity development include technical, managerial, marketing and public relations. This challenge underscores the need for upgrading and training of personnel in the water sector.
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