Desperate Hammanskraal residents digging wells and making boreholes for water supply

Waking up with no water or contaminated water which cannot be used to drink, bathe, or cook is the everyday reality for the residents of Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria.

Residents are bemoaning the failure of the ANC and Democratic Alliance who have led the cashstrapped capital city for more than a decade.

Digging wells and boreholes for water

Some residents have resorted to digging wells and making boreholes in a bid to have clean water. This is despite the municipality providing water tankers, supposedly containing clean water.

The city is reportedly spending millions on the provision of water via tankers, but residents claim that the tankers deliver the same dirty, smelly water that runs from their taps.

“The city is also exploring infrastructure financing alternatives for implementation of the permanent solution, such as expansion of Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Works by 80 megalitres per day, which requires R3.5 billion,” Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said.

During a visit by The Citizen to the area, a resident allowed us into his home to see for ourselves the state of the water, which had white particles in it.

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Water from tankers

Pet Malega said the water from tankers was not only unsafe for consumption, but also had a strange smell.

“You can smell that is the same water from the taps they tell us to not use,” he said.

He said residents who could not afford to buy water were forced to drink the unsafe water because the tankers were not reliable.

“Sometimes these tankers don’t come and if you cannot afford to buy water, you are forced to use the water from the taps.”

Consuming the water in tankers had led to ill-health among some residents, he added.

“Our immune systems are no longer the same. Some complain about stomach aches, some have diarrhoea while some complain about the water after drinking it and we fear that some will eventually die because of it.”

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Boiling water useless

Malega said boiling the tap water in a bid to purify it sometimes changed it to a green or foamy brown colour.

“If you pour it in a white bucket, it appears to be yellow. If you leave it there for about 10 minutes it starts to show green particles,” he said.

In 2019, the South African Humans Rights Commission declared the water was unsafe for human consumption after the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’s independent sample analysis.

In April 2021, during public hearings held by ActionSA, Dr Dan Molefe, senior lecturer in chemistry at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, said it was possible the water might cause brown teeth, loss of hair and lack of calcium, leading to weak bones.

Inquiry chair prof Jonas Letsoalo found the City of Tshwane had failed to comply with the constitution and provide sufficient water to residents.

Then-mayor Randall Williams, who did not come to the public hearing, said the metro was paying R5 million for tankers to deliver water to residents.

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Resident Jerry Modise said he decided to dig himself a water well as the water from the tankers was the same as the tap water and a lot of people now depended on it for water.

“This water is way better than that from the trucks. People come and ask for water from me and leave the trucks. Tshwane is really failing us with water,” Modise said.

Meanwhile, a teacher from a pre-school in the area, Nthabiseng Kekana, said when the preschool was opened three years ago, the first thing they did was to make sure a borehole was in place.

“We don’t use the water from the taps or trucks at all. “We run a children’s business so we don’t take chances with children. The owner even ended up doing a borehole for the community because the community always asked for water here,” Kekana said.

Water expert Anthony Turton could not say which water was better – borehole water or water from the wells they had dug for themselves – as he had not tested either.

“Well water is generally not safe for the simple reason that it’s so shallow but also because it’s in direct contact with the surface, so whatever you find in the surface, you often find in a shallow well. The well water would be quite worrisome,” Turton said.

Drastic measures a sign of desperation

He said the drastic measures taken by Hammanskraal residents to get water was a clear sign of frustration.

“The state is unable to provide services so the residents have resorted to self-help,” he said. Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the water produced at Temba Water Treatment Plant did not comply with the drinking water standard so the city was providing water through tankers or bowsers.

Mashigo said the city was working towards the refurbishment, upgrade and expansion of the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Works, which was a contributor to the poor-quality raw water for the Temba Water Treatment Plant.

“The city is in the process of procuring a consultant for the completion of Phase 1 of the Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Works refurbishment and upgrade project,” he said. – lungam@citizen.co.za