Almost 51% of water is not suitable to drink Photo Pexels
South Africa – Water, the essence of life, serves as the fundamental building block for ecosystems and human survival. However, that fundamental building block is deteriorating in South Africa. The preliminary Watch Report has highlighted that defective infrastructure and neglect have led to a drop in the quality of drinking water.
The report indicates that almost 51% of the drinking water measured had poor to bad microbiological water quality status. Dr Ferrial Adam, Environmental activist and part of WaterCAN, emphasised that urgent action is imperative, as the situation not only impacts our daily lives but also raises significant health and environmental concerns.
“We need the matter to be treated as a life and death issue and that’s not the case in terms of what we are seeing. So that’s raising a real concern for us because if we keep leaving it like this, it’s going to be harder to backtrack. To make it better to ensure that we have clean water. This should be a concern for everyone.”
Cholera outbreak and water contamination
The cholera outbreak that happened in Hammanskraal is not unique but is a pervasive problem across the country, explained Adams. Wastewater treatment works are failing, leading to sewage pollution in rivers and streams, and underscores the need for political will and accountability in addressing these challenges.
“Hammanskraal is a over 16-year problem. The deterioration in access to water has been a problem for over 16 years and that is something people forget in terms of the cholera outbreak. Government is saying that they cannot pinpoint the source of the cholera which is understandable. A few things for me that we need to be mindful of is at the same time of the outbreak in Hammanskraal, we had cases of cholera in four other provinces. Then we also take the fact that our wastewater treatment works across the country are failing which means that they are flushing raw sewage into our streams.”
When one follows the dots it is easy to see that those using the rivers and streams are going to get sick. This is why Adams is still surprised that after having a cholera outbreak in five provinces, the government is still unable to find a single source.
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How ordinary folks can make a difference and how to empower communities
Adam underscored the importance of grassroots initiatives in monitoring and addressing water-related issues. WaterCAN provides testing kits that enable citizens to assess the quality of their tap water, rivers, and streams. This initiative aims to spread awareness and engagement beyond specific regions to ensure a comprehensive assessment of water quality across the nation.
“We have testing kits. It’s a basic testing kit that tests the quality of your drinking water. You can do it in your tap water, a river, a stream. We are running a week of testing from the 17th to the 24th of September. We want people across the country to join us to test their water. We can supply you a testing kit. We’re trying to make sure that it’s not just KZN, Gauteng and Western Cape based. We need the other provinces to test water as well. The other thing we’ve done is, we have laid criminal charges against the City of Johannesburg. Particularly in terms of the municipal managers. We are saying that it’s not enough to charge the municipalities because then they get charged a fine and that comes from our money. We say go for the people who are not doing their jobs and that’s the municipal managers. So we have charged them criminally as well.”
These are the things that citizens should be doing and it does not require large law firms but rather only evidence. All you require is proof the water is being contaminated, whether it is pictures of the pollution or the water tests.
“To be honest, to lay criminal charges against a municipal manager for pollution is really as easy as going to report an accident or a break-in. Everyone has done that. You go to the police station and you give in an affidavit saying I want to charge the City of Johannesburg for pollution. It took us a bit of a while but that’s where we can also advise on the process. It should be as easy as going to report an accident.”
Water, as the essence of life, demands our unwavering attention and action. There is an urgent need for communities to play an active role in safeguarding water quality. WaterCAN stands as a beacon of hope, providing tools and guidance for ordinary citizens to take charge of their water resources. As we navigate a rapidly changing world, it is imperative that we unite to protect and preserve this vital resource for generations to come.
