Water Quality Monitoring in the Eastern Cape: A Case Study of the Chris Hani District Municipality

Access to safe drinking water is a basic human right.Safe drinking-water that complies with National - and International standards and norms is of the utmost importance in order to prevent incidences of outbreaks of waterborne diseases.A rise in the global population has led to increased pressure being placed on Water Resources, resulting in high occurrences of water-related illnesses.Overall, there is a need for effective Water Resource Management in order to protect Water Resources.With Target 10, Goal 7 of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) aiming at reducing half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation, it is estimated that approximately 1.6 billion people will require access to improved sanitation between the periods of 2000-2015, the majority of which, live in developing countries.Comparitive Research governing South African policy and legislation regarding Water Quality is presented.