Vhembe residents now able to access clean water
Rural communities joyful as clean water flows from taps, ending years of sharing dirty river water with animals.
LIMPOPO – Rural communities in Tshipako, Damani, Khubvi, and surrounding villages outside Thohoyandou no longer have to collect water from the Mutshundudi River, where they shared dirty water with animals.
Thanks to the R18m upgrade and refurbishment of the Damani Water Treatment Works, clean water is now accessible to these areas.
The Damani Regional Water Supply Scheme, one of the projects funded by the Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, and the Water and Sanitation Department for the 2020/21 financial year, has successfully increased its capacity.
The project, which covered storage and bulk pipelines, has been augmented from 4 million litres per day to 12 million litres per day. Households in new extensions will, however, need to wait a few months for the completion of the water reticulation project in their areas.
The water reticulation project, soon to be completed, will benefit new households in Hamakhuvha extension called Gudumabama, Tshidimbini, and Tshitereke villages.
In the meantime, short-term interventions such as water tankering will be provided in these areas until the reticulation is finished.
On Thursday, Vhembe Mayor Freda Nkondo handed over the water project to the rural communities of Tshipako, Damani and Khubvi.
“Water is life, and communities cannot survive well without clean water from the taps,” Nkondo stated.
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“We have brought clean water from the taps to rural communities around here and declare that we are ready to supply you with clean water. We urge you to take care of the water infrastructure and protect it from all forms of vandalism.”
The traditional leader of Khubvi village, Vhamusanda Thinawanga Randima, expressed his satisfaction with the project.
“We are custodians of the people, and if clean water from the taps is coming to the communities, we are happy as water shortages hinder rural communities. We assure the mayor and her councillors that we will mobilise the communities to guard against any illegal connections. We are against any form of vandalism of water infrastructure and will inform the municipality and police if such activities are found. Those responsible will be arrested and prosecuted by law enforcement agencies.”
Granny Anna Munyai (62) from Tshipako village, expressed her joy, stating, “We will never again drink dirty water that we used to share with animals.”
She appealed to the water operators working around the Damani Water Supply Scheme to work diligently and ensure that water is available every day without any interruptions.
