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Free tools · From the Department of Water and Sanitation’s Blue Drop risk ratings, 2024

Is the tap water safe where you live?

The government’s latest official rating of South Africa’s 1,003 drinking-water systems puts 816 at low or medium risk and 187 at high or critical risk. Find your town for each of its systems, its sewage works and its water losses. What Blue Drop, Green Drop and No Drop mean.

What it coversCovers all 213 municipalities: the whole country.Green: places with records. Worked out from release 2026-11-12. Boundaries: Municipal Demarcation Board, 2026 boundaries. The dataset

This is the government’s latest official assessment (published in March 2026, on data from July 2023 to June 2024), not a live test of your tap water or a guarantee that it’s safe.

Find your town

Beside each municipality: its drinking-water systems at high or critical risk, of all those rated. Where the district supplies the water, the count is the district’s.

Eastern Cape

Free State

Gauteng

KwaZulu-Natal

Limpopo

Mpumalanga

North West

Northern Cape

Western Cape

213 municipalities. Can’t find your town? Find its municipality with the ward lookup.

What the ratings mean

The Department of Water and Sanitation rates each drinking-water system’s risk from four things: the size of its treatment works and how close it runs to capacity (35% of the rating), whether its water met the national drinking-water standard, SANS 241, in tests, and whether enough tests were done (35%), the skills of its staff (20%), and whether it has a water safety plan (10%).

The rating is a share of the worst possible score, so higher is worse: below 50% is low risk, 50% to under 70% medium, 70% to under 90% high, and 90% or more critical. It describes how a system was run and tested over a year, not the water in your glass today.

For the water in your tap today, ask your municipality: it’s responsible for the water and issues boil-water notices. If it issues one, follow it.

The sewage is another story

Sewage works don’t supply your tap, but what they release flows into rivers and dams. In the department’s Green Drop audit for 2024, 47% of the 848 municipal sewage works were in a critical state, scoring below 31%. Each town’s page lists its works. Read our story on the ratings.

Every water services authority

The water services authority is the municipality responsible for water: a metro, a local municipality, or in much of the country the district municipality, for all the towns in it.

Eastern Cape: 14 authorities, 13 of 157 systems at high or critical risk
AuthoritySystemsLowMediumHighCritical
Alfred Nzo District Municipality
Supplies Matatiele, Ntabankulu, Umzimvubu and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
74300
Amathole District Municipality
Supplies Amahlathi, Great Kei, Mbhashe, Mnquma, Ngqushwa and Raymond Mhlaba
3731600
Blue Crane Route30030
Buffalo City1010000
Chris Hani District Municipality
Supplies Dr AB Xuma, Emalahleni, Enoch Mgijima, Intsika Yethu, Inxuba Yethemba and Sakhisizwe
2417610
Dr Beyers Naude98100
Joe Gqabi District Municipality
Supplies Elundini, Senqu and Walter Sisulu
1410400
Kou-Kamma110632
Kouga85300
Makana31200
Ndlambe61320
Nelson Mandela Bay11000
O.R.Tambo District Municipality
Supplies Ingquza Hill, King Sabata Dalindyebo, Kumkani Mhlontlo, Nyandeni and Port St Johns
2115402
Sundays River Valley30300
Free State: 19 authorities, 25 of 78 systems at high or critical risk
AuthoritySystemsLowMediumHighCritical
Dihlabeng30012
Kopanong96120
Letsemeng50320
Mafube30003
Maluti a Phofung42110
Mangaung76100
Mantsopa51310
Masilonyana40013
Matjhabeng65100
Metsimaholo31110
Mohokare30300
Moqhaka32100
Nala22000
Ngwathe52120
Nketoana43100
Phumelela32010
Setsoto41210
Tokologo31002
Tswelopele20020
Gauteng: 9 authorities, 2 of 22 systems at high or critical risk
AuthoritySystemsLowMediumHighCritical
Ekurhuleni11000
Emfuleni22000
Johannesburg11000
Lesedi11000
Merafong City11000
Midvaal22000
Mogale City11000
Rand West City11000
Tshwane129120
KwaZulu-Natal: 14 authorities, 31 of 206 systems at high or critical risk
AuthoritySystemsLowMediumHighCritical
Amajuba District Municipality
Supplies Dannhauser and Emadlangeni
42101
eThekwini11000
Harry Gwala District Municipality
Supplies Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Greater Kokstad, Johannes Phumani Phungula and Umzimkhulu
2116212
iLembe District Municipality
Supplies KwaDukuza, Mandeni, Maphumulo and Ndwedwe
2918623
King Cetshwayo District Municipality
Supplies Mfolozi, Mthonjaneni, Nkandla and uMlalazi
2824211
Msunduzi11000
Newcastle21001
Ugu District Municipality
Supplies Ray Nkonyeni, Umdoni, uMuziwabantu and Umzumbe
168530
Umgungundlovu District Municipality
Supplies Impendle, Mkhambathini, Mpofana, Richmond, uMngeni and uMshwathi
88000
uMhlathuze44000
Umkhanyakude District Municipality
Supplies Big Five Hlabisa, Inkosi Mtubatuba, Jozini and Umhlabuyalingana
2613364
Umzinyathi District Municipality
Supplies Endumeni, Msinga, Nqutu and Umvoti
137510
Uthukela District Municipality
Supplies Alfred Duma, Inkosi Langalibalele and Okhahlamba
1421020
Zululand District Municipality
Supplies Abaqulusi, eDumbe, Nongoma, Ulundi and uPhongolo
3933330
Limpopo: 10 authorities, 20 of 94 systems at high or critical risk
AuthoritySystemsLowMediumHighCritical
Bela-Bela32100
Capricorn District Municipality
Supplies Blouberg, Lepele-Nkumpi and Molemole
80611
Lephalale61014
Modimolle-Mookgophong51220
Mogalakwena20200
Mopani District Municipality
Supplies Ba-Phalaborwa, Greater Giyani, Greater Letaba, Greater Tzaneen and Maruleng
2117112
Polokwane77000
Sekhukhune District Municipality
Supplies Elias Motsoaledi, Ephraim Mogale, Fetakgomo Tubatse and Makhuduthamaga
2114232
Thabazimbi41012
Vhembe District Municipality
Supplies Collins Chabane, Makhado, Musina and Thulamela
1716100
Mpumalanga: 17 authorities, 7 of 102 systems at high or critical risk
North West: 10 authorities, 2 of 43 systems at high or critical risk
AuthoritySystemsLowMediumHighCritical
Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality
Supplies Greater Taung, Kagisano/Molopo, Lekwa-Teemane, Mamusa and Naledi
75020
JB Marks88000
Kgetlengrivier21100
Madibeng32100
Maquassi Hills20200
Matlosana11000
Moretele11000
Moses Kotane44000
Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality
Supplies Ditsobotla, Mafikeng, Ramotshere Moiloa, Ratlou and Tswaing
96300
Rustenburg66000
Northern Cape: 26 authorities, 84 of 177 systems at high or critical risk
AuthoritySystemsLowMediumHighCritical
!Kheis71060
Dawid Kruiper1711501
Dikgatlong40130
Emthanjeni30210
Ga-Segonyana2432712
Gamagara30300
Hantam65100
Joe Morolong184671
Kai !Garib1612013
Kamiesberg160745
Kareeberg32100
Karoo Hoogland33000
Kgatelopele11000
Khâi-Ma40004
Magareng10010
Nama Khoi155532
Phokwane30210
Renosterberg30030
Richtersveld50122
Siyancuma40310
Siyathemba30120
Sol Plaatje31200
Thembelihle21100
Tsantsabane50203
Ubuntu53200
Umsobomvu32100
Western Cape: 25 authorities, 3 of 124 systems at high or critical risk

Each authority’s drinking-water systems by risk, from the Blue Drop risk assessment of 2024 (data from July 2023 to June 2024).

More on water

Source: Department of Water and Sanitation, Blue Drop Progress Assessment Report 2025 (drinking-water risk ratings for 2024), Green Drop Report 2025 (sewage works audited for 2024), No Drop Progress Assessment Report 2025 (water losses), through our water quality dataset, release 2026-11-12.

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