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5.4.1 Water
According to the Reconstmction and Development Programme (RDP) [ANC, 1994] there are
supposed to be 25 litres of water per person per day within 200m ofa home, set to determine
the level of water supply in South Africa. Three levels of water supply have been identified
by the Zululand District Municipality in order to provide an overview ofthe present situation:
• Above RDP standard
• RDP standard (25Uperson/day within 200 m ofthe home)
• Below RDP standard
Water supply remains a serious setback to the improvement of the quality of life of many in
the Zululand District, even though there appears to be significant improvement in its
provision. According to the RDP standard, approximately 31.4% of the people in Zululand
have no access to the requisite standard of water supplies. In the face of this challenge, an
interim, rudimentary water supply project is in progress to ensure that every senlement has
access to a minimum of 5Uperson/day within 800 m of the home. This study acknowledges
that in the pursuit of preventing a drain of resources from the local economy, seasonal water
shortages in Ulundi are of grave concern to domestic and potential industrial growth in the
area. Other alternative sources of water like boreholes which are already in use in the tribal
authority areas need further research/study.
5.4.2 Sanitation
The 200I Census reports that 39% of households in Zululand District Municipality had no
sanitation facilities and that 27% used pit and bucket latrines. Approximately. 88% of its
urban residents had water borne sanitation, while 67% of rural dwellers had no sanitation
facilities. The RDP standard for sanitation is a flush toilet or managed soak pit (lOP ­
Zululand District Municipality, 2006). Thus the study highlights the urban inequality in
sanitation that manifests deplorable environmental health challenges in the rural areas of the
entire Zululand Region. The limited resources to deal with free services in the tribal rural
areas ofthe study area are a great concern.
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