Water award’s validity questioned
The municipality's water award has been called into question by local residents.
AS eThekwini Municipality’s water and sanitation department is given the 2014 Stockholm Industry Water Award (SIWA), the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) and Bluff Ratepayers Association (BRA) question whether the accolade is justified.
The award was bestowed for the department’s commitment to a transformative and inclusive approach to providing water and sanitation services as enshrined in the Constitution. They provided 1.3-million people with piped water and 700,000 with access to toilets since 2000.
According to the SIWA jury, “eThekwini has championed the approach to provide sufficient water to sustain human life, as expressed in the South African constitution, now embedded in national policy. The methods used and results achieved serve as a sterling example for the many communities worldwide facing similar challenges.”
But SDCEA is not convinced. “The reality we experience is repeated water infrastructure collapse over the past five years,” said project officer, Noluthando Mbeje.
“We have suffered repeated incidents in which millions of litres of raw sewage have been dumped into our city’s rivers. The waste water treatment centres are not being fully maintained, resulting in equipment failure.”
They have cited sewage leaks on the Bluff and in Montclair, Yellowwood Park, Clairwood, Merebank, Isipingo and Amanzimtoti, among many others, as cause for concern. “We have seen thousands of fish lying dead in these rivers and this dumping of raw sewage has resulted in informal settlements alongside these rivers being unable to use the water. When chemicals are regularly dumped into our rivers by industries, the government replies with a slap on the wrist.”
And they are not the only ones concerned. BRA chairman, Ivor Aylward was speechless when he heard the department had won the award. “It took them two years to tackle a non-functioning canal on the Bluff and 14 years to deal with a sewage problem in Richardson Road. We are dealing with crises every day when it comes to water and sanitation, with little or no results from the municipality,” said Aylward.
The Blue flag status of Durban beaches, or lack thereof, was queried by both SDCEA and BRA. “The municipality’s inability to win back Blue Flag status for all our beaches is another reflects the lack of action in halting pollution in Durban’s rivers,” said Mbeje.
Ivor added: “How can they be given such a prestigious award when it isn’t even sanitary to swim at our beaches?”
