Changes

The South African government decided in 2001 to provide a basic amount of access to 25 litres of safe water per person per day, within 200 metres of the household free of charge to all citizens. A review of the implementation of the South African Free Water policy (Muller, 2008, page 67) suggests that the policy has helped not only to achieve social equity but also has supported the broader objectives of conservation and environmental sustainability. Muller (2008, page 67); ‘The ''The political legitimacy conferred by the approach has enabled water supply organizations to recover their costs and achieve the economic objective of financial sustainability. South Africa’s experience with free basic water thus demonstrates that addressing social and environmental dimensions together with economic dimensions can lead to more effective and sustainable policy.’''