Ermelo’s tap water has seen a change of colour in recent weeks with residents questioning what is really going on.
After the Highvelder was bombarded with queries about the water, the newspaper enquired at Msukaligwa Municipality to get to the crux of the matter.
According to residents, the colour changes every other week from brown to even a gold colour.
“Small particles of rust stays at the bottom if you let the water rest for a while,” one resident said.
However, every now and then the water becomes clear. With no information by the municipality, residents are left wondering what is going on.
According to Mr Nhlakanipho Shabalala from Breyten, a water and sanitation specialist and University of Limpopo alumni who has travelled the world doing extensive research on numerous subjects, including water, Msukaligwa is most definitely facing a water crisis and that the water is sometimes not fit for human consumption.
This raises the question of whether the water in Ermelo is safe for residents, especially in townships such as Wesselton where residents use the water straight from the tap for various uses, including quenching their thirst.
Ermelo’s water is supplied by the Douglas Dam, however, according to Mr Shabalala, the treatment of the water is not up to standard and results in the different colours.
“If there is a shortage or insufficient chemical supply or dosage at the water treatment plant, coagulation or settling down of smaller particles will not occur and muddy water will pass as it is to filtration eventually appearing in the community taps,” Mr Shabalala said.
He added that some municipal treatment plants sometimes run out of chemicals and when plant operators report the shortages, either the management or the supplier will delay delivery.
“This is an indication of mismanagement and more importantly the possibility of deployment of people into positions of great authority without technical competence of water purification.”
Mr Shabalala is talking from experience because he has worked on a water plant.
This is not good news for township residents as some cannot afford to buy water from stores.
While Wesselton residents are facing such a problem, on the other side of the coin the suburbs of Ermelo are facing another.
Pipes are continuously bursting in the suburban residential areas, letting water run free.
A pipe in Jan van Rooyen Street has been partially fixed, however water is running down the street.
The Highvelder was still waiting for a response from Msukaligwa Municipality and the Gert Sibande District Municipality’s Enviromental, Health and Safety office regarding the water issue at the time of going to the press.
