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Pricey DM168 reader,
I spent the Easter weekend with household and pals on the tranquil Zwakala River Retreat in Haenertsburg in Limpopo.
Zwakala is nestled excessive up on the forested slopes of the Magoebaskloof mountains, and we have been drenched with relentless downpours of rain, and slipped and slid on muddy mountain roads.
Whereas the rain stored us working for canopy after we would have most popular to be hanging across the campfire and swimming within the Broederstroom River, the weekend away made us conscious about how a lot we take with no consideration the worth of water.
We will survive near a month with out meals, however after simply three days without water, we’re at demise’s door.
On this week’s DM168 lead story, Our Burning Planet author Tony Carnie writes in regards to the terrifying undeniable fact that regardless of South Africa being a water-scarce nation, as much as 40% of piped water is misplaced in cities, cities and villages because of leaks. That is prison on so many ranges.
I used to be gobsmacked this weekend to listen to from fellow Zwakala campers from Polokwane about how companies and households must fork out between R10,000 and R20,000 a month for water from tanks, as leaking pipes and poor water infrastructure upkeep have led to a important water scarcity within the greatest metropolis in Limpopo.
The water scarcity is so dangerous that residents can’t flush bathrooms as much as three days at a time. This led to pissed off residents of Polokwane, Seshego and surrounding areas shutting down town on Thursday, 4 April.
Residents interviewed by TimesLIVE reporter Phathu Luvhengo spoke in regards to the insidious nature of the issue. They spoke of water tankers deployed in areas the place there was water infrastructure, however the repairs have been delayed as a result of, in the event that they mounted the infrastructure, sure businesspeople would now not profit. One resident tellingly stated: “It appears the water disaster is a man-made [problem] in order that they’ll appoint a contractor and say we’re fixing the issue.”
The mayor of Polokwane accused the shutdown of being politicking earlier than the elections. Bloody hell, Mr Mayor, when there may be an abundance of water however not a drop to drink, water IS political.
It’s political within the financial hub of Johannesburg, the place leaks, rolling energy blackouts and a few idiot closing a valve disadvantaged residents of water for weeks.
It’s political in Tshwane, the place greater than 30 folks died of a cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal due to what water administration skilled and Unisa professor Anja du Plessis attributes to the legacy of sewage air pollution throughout the nation. It’s because wastewater remedy works are in poor, or important, situation because of underinvestment and mismanagement.
It’s political throughout our nation. And it’s not simply the residents of Polokwane, Soweto and Blairgowrie or Hammanskraal who’re affected, however each one among us.
The federal government’s personal nationwide Blue Drop audit report, launched late final 12 months, discovered that 46% of all water provide methods pose well being dangers due to micro organism, viruses and pathogens within the consuming water provide, and that just about two-thirds (64%) of all wastewater remedy works are near failure.
On prime of this, 57% of the nation’s municipalities don’t notify residents once they uncover that the water has been contaminated.
That is nothing however political. We acquired to this dire state of affairs as a result of politicians and their accomplices at numerous water boards answerable for water infrastructure nationally and in native municipalities selected to not spend on deliberate upkeep and the restore of infrastructure.
We will solely guess that upkeep cash went to self-importance photo-op tasks of myopic short-term-thinking politicians with no imaginative and prescient or management abilities, or to some or different tender with kickbacks or cadre deployment primarily based on the insane perception that expert water engineers and water remedy specialists might be changed by unskilled, unqualified comrades, family and friends.
And should you suppose I’m being unfair, learn the Blue Drop report. It confirmed that:
- Water provide methods throughout the nation want an extra 400 certified folks – 203 technical workers and 197 scientists.
- A minimum of 67% of water remedy works workers had no coaching at everywhere in the audited interval.
- Water provide system managers don’t monitor the standing of their water.
Present Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu and DG of Water Sean Phillips have been onerous at work figuring out the rot of corruption within the water department, developing with insurance policies and calling for tighter controls in order that “water services institutions are compelled to measure, control or fix leaks on private properties, as government cannot continue to fund new infrastructure projects to supplement leakage”.
However I don’t suppose that is sufficient. We want what the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse’s government supervisor of WaterCAN, Ferrial Adam, urged: “A war room approach” to all our water challenges in each metropolis, city, village and district in our nation.
We must always solely give our votes to political events who decide to implementing finances spend on water infrastructure upkeep and repairs to cease leaks, and to professionalising each sphere of water service provision with extremely expert, certified workers who know precisely how valuable each drop of water is.
Solely NGOs like Reward of the Givers ought to be used to provide water vans so we might be assured that no enterprise connection of some small-town or big-city politician or official is making a fast fortune out of upkeep failures of the previous. Each life depends upon this.
Do your self and our nation a favour. Ask each politician who comes knocking in your door or hustles you for a vote what their resolution is to the water drawback.
Don’t overlook to put in writing to me at [email protected] and I’ll publish your letters – or photos, if you’re extra of a visible communicator – within the newspaper.
Yours in defence of fact,
Heather
This story first appeared in our weekly Every day Maverick 168 newspaper, which is obtainable countrywide for R29.
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