Mixed feelings over quality of tap water in households

POLOKWANE – Water is life; yet while there are many people in the province who do not have water. Even some of those who do, question the quality of the water they use.

Review spoke to some of the city’s residents about the quality of the water that they use.

Petrolin Grynhout lives in Westenburg and says the water supplied leaves much to be desired.

“The water is bad at home. It tastes awful, sometimes it looks like muddy water. As a result I often have stomach cramps and I blame the quality of the water. It is unaffordable to buy water all the time. I always boil the water beforehand for us to use for things like cooking. I have even heard, not that I have seen it myself, that there are little worms in the water at some houses,” she says.

Lebo Mohotsi is pregnant, and says she lives in the city centre area and the water at her home is adequate for human consumption; it looks clean and it doesn’t have a smell. She says at her workplace in Grobler Street, there is also no problem. “I drink mineral or any other purified water to keep me and my baby healthy. It is important, especially for women who are expecting babies, to drink pure water. If the expectant mother gets ill as a result of polluted water, it can harm the baby’s health in the long run as well,” Mohotsi says.

Paula Machaka says she resides in Flora Park and apart from the taste, which she describes as salty, the water is fine. She says the salty taste occurs very rarely though, perhaps once in five to six months, but not recently.

“I’m not very fond of drinking water but I do occasionally,” she adds.

Matsela Motloutsi says she lives near the centre of Polokwane and the water is fit for consumption, in her opinion. “But the water rates are really high, yet we don’t get very good service from the municipality when, for example, a waterpipe has burst,” she says.

Joy Tjikana says she also resides in Flora Park and the water currently has a bad taste to it. She says as a result she and her family buy purified water. She says the tap water is used to water the garden and do the washing.

Elsie Steenkamp says she has no complaints about the water as the taste, appearance and water pressure is good. “Whoever is responsible for the water in Flora Park certainly has a firm hand on the quality aspects of the water.”

Jessie Whitfield says she resides in Dorp Street and the water earlier this week was a bit brown, but this happened rarely. “Broken waterpipes that cause litres of water to be wasted needs to be addressed though,” she adds.