Hammanskraal water not cholera contaminated, but not safe to drink

The City of Tshwane’s results of samples tested from multiple sites around Hammanskraal indicated no microbiological contaminates that could be linked with the current cholera outbreak.

“The water distributed via the city’s bulk water distribution network in the area does not have cholera in it,” claimed City of Tshwane spokesperson Selby Bokaba.

“It still doesn’t make the water safe to drink because it is heavily treated with chlorine,” he adds.

Hammanskraal water crisis

Bokaba said the city’s team of environmental health practitioners will continue to run testson water drawn from all the fire hydrants and inspect the cleanliness of water tankers providing water to the communities in the Hammanskraal supply area for the remainder of the week.

“The sampling of water was going to be confined to the Rooiwal hydrant only, but a decision was taken to expand it to all the hydrants and the water tankers supplying water to both the informal and formal areas in and around Hammanskraal,” he said.

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“Tests will also be done on the Temba wastewater treatment plant.”

He said the informal areas affected by the cholera outbreak include Hammanskraal West Ext 10, Phomolong (Suurman Ridge), Soutpan/Marikana (New Eersterus Ext 8, 9, 10 and 11), Hammanskraal, Kudube Unit 10 Erf 10442, Chris Hani, Chris Hani Block G (Kudube Unit 10 Erf 3742), Bridgeview, Hammanskraal West Ext 4, Sekampaneng, Hammanskraal Ext 2 Erf 3503, Nkandla (Stinkwater area), Hammanskraal West Ext 4 (portions 9 and 10) and the Steve Biko area.

Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu said he would meet City of Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink this week to agree on an action plan with timeframes to sort out the water problems in Hammanskraal.

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“In 2021 the South African Human Rights Commission [SAHRC] produced a report: Gauteng provincial inquiry into the sewage pollution of the City of Tshwane’s rivers and the Roodeplaat Dam, which recommended, amongst others, that the national government should take over the water and sanitation function of the city in terms of Section 139 (7) of the constitution, Section 63 of the Water Services Act, 1997, and Section 19 of the National Water Act, 1998,” he said.

Funding

The city initially rejected the Human Rights Commission’s recommendations.

“The department engaged with National Treasury for funding for the intervention recommended by the SAHRC, but National Treasury indicated the city had already been provided with funding for the rehabilitation and upgrading of the Rooiwal wastewater treatment works, through its Urban Settlements Development Grant [USDG] allocations.

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“Consequently, the department is pursuing legal action against the city for a court order to force the city to use its USDG allocations to rehabilitate and upgrade the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Works,” he said.