Best water cleaning tech for people worried about South Africa’s next major crisis

South African households who want to ensure their water is safe for consumption have a plethora of filtering systems to choose from — with prices starting from under R2,000.

According to research by several independent organisations and the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), the quality of South Africa’s municipal water has declined in the past decade.

In its 2023 report, 26 of the 958 water supply systems in the country achieved Blue Drop status. In 2014, 44 systems achieved this status.

Blue Drop status is awarded to a system that achieves a high level of performance and excellence in drinking water quality, with a score of 95% or more.

More concerning is that 277 systems — or around 29% of the total — were deemed to be in a critical state. In 2014, the number was much lower, at 174.

The Green Drop Progress Assessment report also found that 64% of wastewater treatment works were at high or critical risk of discharging partially or untreated water into rivers and the environment — which could impact the quality of borehole water.

Civil action organisation Afriforum carried out its own tests for a 2024 Blue and Green Drop report, testing water quality in 210 towns and cities.

It found that 87% of the municipalities had water that was safe for human consumption.

While that may seem like a relatively high number, it was down significantly from the 96% measured in the previous year.

Municipalities with unsafe drinking water increased from eight to 28 and expanded from just one province to all nine provinces.

In addition, the tests showed that just 13% of 150 wastewater treatment works complied with minimum standards.

Given the deteriorating state of water infrastructure in South Africa, avoiding consuming water straight from the tap may be a logical measure.

Fortunately, there are many compact water filtering systems that you can fit into your home’s water system to clean up your supply.

Your water’s treatment needs, if any, will depend on your specific source and any harmful materials the water may contain.

According to reputable water filter manufacturer Aquasana, there are five main types of water filters, each capable of different treatments, as outlined in the table below.

Stages vs filters

Water filtration systems sold in South Africa are typically described with “stages,” each representing one of the filter types mentioned above.

However, some systems may have more than one stage that uses the same filter type.

For example, Blue Spot Water and Makro sell the entry-level Superpure WH3SL 3-stage house filter which features a mechanical filter and two activated carbon filters.

That means it will not be suitable for removing bacteria and viruses, which can only be achieved with reverse osmosis and UV filtering.

More expensive 3-stage, 4-stage, or 5-stage systems can boast reverse osmosis and UV sterilisation filters in addition to mechanical and activated carbon filters. Ion exchange does not appear to be a commonly available feature.

To decide on a system that will provide clean water for your house, you will need to test your specific water supply for as wide a range of contaminants as possible.

There are several self-testing kits available from physical and online stores which can provide a comprehensive analysis of the contents of your water.

However, for the most accurate data and best interpretation, a water analysis by a professional lab with all the right tools may be best.

Pricing for these tests will vary significantly depending on all the different characteristics of the water you should analyse.

Filtershop.co.za charges R4,225 to test 19 characteristics in its most comprehensive test.

For those more confident in their ability to understand the science, the DWS regularly tests water quality and content and publishes this on its Resource Quality Information Services Data and Reports dashboard.

However, this website was unavailable at the time time of publication.

These tests may also not show the specific harmful issues with your house’s water, which can be impacted by issues downstream from where the department does its testing.

Output and storage capacity

It is also important to note that more affordable systems will generally have a slower output than expensive models.

The output can be measured in gallons or litres per minute or per day.

Some of the entry-level systems available online had outputs of roughly 240 litres per day or 10 litres per hour, which may just be sufficient for smaller households.

Some systems have a storage tank that can store additional treated water when the tap is not in use. That can be particularly helpful for smaller systems.

Higher capacity systems costing more than R8,000 had daily outputs of more than 3,000 litres per day or 125 litres per hour.

Lastly, some filter cartridges may require regular replacement after a certain amount of usage or time.

While a certain system might be cheap at first, its compatible cartridges could be more expensive than a model with a higher initial upfront price tag, which may also have washable cartridges.