A physical environmental management perspective on municipal water supply: proposals for Tlokwe City Council

Abstract

All South Africans, especially, those involved with the development and management of its water resources should be aware that South Africa is generally an arid to semi-arid region, with an average rainfall of approximately 500 mm per annum, compared to a world average of 860mm. Consequently, potable water is a very scarce resource, and is often the biggest prohibiting factor for development of, for example, new residential areas in a town or city.

Hence a public service rendering municipality like the Tlokwe (Potchefstroom) City Council will have to, in its quest to manage its potable water supply more effectively, efficiently and economically, take cognisance of aspects such as:

· The origin of its potable water;
· The nature and extent of the storage and treatment of the potable water;
· The manner in which the potable water is distributed to the users and consumers;and
· The manner in which the wastewater is collected, treated and managed.

The authors of this article are of the opinion that the aforementioned can only be taken care of effectively by incorporating a physical environmental management perspective in its municipal governance.