White River water crisis not getting any better

Certain water reservoirs in town remain empty as a result of the ongoing load-shedding. Some residents claim they have lost hope in the City of Mbombela’s (CoM) ability to rectify water problems in the area. They said they are now going to approach the Human Rights Commission (HRC) and provincial government to intervene, as some residents have been without running water for four weeks.

They also claim that the deteriorating infrastructure has become another major problem in the already dire situation.
Locals allege that the water and sanitation systems need to be rebuilt as most of the pipes are constantly leaking or bursting, and sewer spillages have become the norm. They hope that HRC could assist with the current situation as not having water is a violation of a citizen’s rights.

ALSO READ: Sections of White River without water for more than three weeks

Community members are simultaneously calling on provincial government to intervene in forcing the CoM to act and sort out the ongoing water issues. They claim that water tankers are not reaching certain residential areas. The elderly are especially not able to collect and transport water from designated zones.
DA ward councillor Rowan Torr said locals are concerned with the current operational system: the water being pumped to the main elevated reservoir systems and the quality of potable water provided. “The continuous load reduction has exposed the weakness of the municipal infrastructure. For the past two years, the municipality had been failing to provide clean water to the residents of White River. Due to the fact that there is not a constant supply of it, the underground reservoir has not been flushed out to remove the collection of sludge and silt, leading to dirty water from taps.

ALSO READ: Parts of White River enter third week of no water

“The municipality’s failure to maintain their reservoirs and pump stations has violated the right of access to clean drinking water for residents. With the flow of water continuously being disrupted, sewerage systems continuously spill out throughout town. Locals are subjected to raw sewage running from leaking manholes in gardens, streets and into the storm water drains,” he said. Torr said this sewage finds its way into rivers and dams, and could lead to diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera and polio.
He told Lowvelder that despite constant communication with relevant municipal departments, it was learnt that there is no plan to counter these problems. “Even more concerning is the fact that none of the pump stations have emergency generators. It’s unclear why the municipality has not procured them.”