Northern Cape water crisis: Dangerous blue-green algae in the Vaal River and Kimberley still without water
The residents of Kimberley have been without water for weeks with no prospect of when water supply will be restored. Furthermore, it appears that the Northern Cape Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is not much bothered about the life-threatening blue-green algae found in the Vaal River. AfriForum requested answers respectively from DWS and the Sol Plaatje Local Municipality regarding their action plans regarding these problems.
AfriForum demands that water supply in Kimberley be restored within 48 hours. This follows after residents of this town have struggled for weeks with limited or no access to water. The organisation is of the opinion that the Sol Plaatje Local Municipality violates residents’ constitutional right to access to water by not meeting the minimum standards of water supply services. These minimum requirements indicate, among other things, individuals’ right to 25 litres of potable water per day, which flows at a minimum rate of 10 litres per minute.
The organisation requests, among other things, an action plan with an outline of how the municipality intends to effectively restore water supply, as well as information about all the water points that the municipality has made available in the meantime. AfriForum has also once again offered its help to the municipality so that solutions can be found quickly.
“In the past, we offered to help the Sol Plaatje Local Municipality in an advisory role with solutions. The well-being of our members and the wider community in Kimberley is a priority, so our offer to the municipality still stands. At this stage, the municipality cannot afford to be fastidious when help is offered,” says Lize-Mari van der Linden, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the Karoo.
Meanwhile, AfriForum also expressed its concern about the blue-green algae found in the Vaal River. In a letter to DWS in the Northern Cape, the organisation emphasises that blue-green algae is unsafe for humans and animals – blue-green algae can be life-threatening if ingested. Furthermore, AfriForum also wants to know what steps DWS plans to take against the persons responsible for treating the water in order to prevent harmful bacteria from taking hold.
DWS has meanwhile confirmed in an e-mail to AfriForum that they had already informed the Dikgatlong Local Municipality on 23 November that blue-green algae had been found in the Vaal River. The municipality was advised to warn the communities along the Vaal River not to drink the water.
According to the department, the recent heat wave (20 November to 29 November) created favourable conditions for blue-green algae to grow and spread in the river. The department has indicated that they are considering various strategies to get rid of the blue-green algae.
In light of these water problems, AfriForum decided to test the water at Riverton on 4 December after a complaint of sewage spillage in the Vaal River came to the organisation’s attention.
