Tshwane metro to invest in Hammanskraal water woes
Substandard drinking water has been the reality for thousands of residents in the Pretoria north region for many years.
Hammanskraal residents recently complained that the water supplied by the City of Tshwane had a strange colour, smelt bad and was contaminated with cholera.
The Tshwane metro has already spent R3 billion addressing the water supply shortage and quality in Hammanskraal, but the residents continue to rely on dirty water from tankers, reports Pretoria North Rekord.
The newly appointed MMC for utility services in Tshwane, Abel Tau, this week disclosed the figure and added that he was confident the city would resolve the water woes in the area.
Substandard drinking water has been a reality for thousands of locals for many years.
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“A number of concerns have been raised with us by the residents. The water tankers themselves do not have lids on top. The handling of the water, as well as the storage in those tankers, might be the problem,” said Tau.
He said the Temba water purification plant was nearing completion and would solve the quality problems.
“It will add another 60 million litres per day of clean water to the residents. I can promise that we will solve the water woes in Hammanskraal,” he said.
Recently, residents complained that water supplied by the city had a strange colour, odour, and was contaminated by cholera. But the metro said various microbiological tests had not indicated the water was unpotable and that there was new technology to purify it.
In a statement on Wednesday, the city said it had noted the concerns from the national department of water and sanitation, South African human rights commission, and other stakeholders regarding the quality of water supplied to the Temba/Hammanskraal area.
“The city would like to put it on record that it is continuously conducting water quality monitoring in all water treatment plants, reservoirs and distribution networks for compliance with drinking water… according to water quality standards. Hammanskraal and surrounding areas are part of this monitoring programme and according to our records, the water supplied to communities in the area complies with the standards.”
The metro said it would continue to ensure that water supplied to all areas around Hammanskraal met with set quality standards.
“It must be emphasised that the city has not received any formal complaint regarding the quality of water supply in the area,” said Tau.
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