“SOMETIMES it is a light brown, sometimes a dark brown – a lot like black coffee. And at times, there is nothing at all.”
These are not words anyone wants to hear when it comes to their drinking water, but this is how Nompumelelo Village resident Vumile Bhacela describes the water that has been coming out of his taps for the last six years.
According to him, the whole Village consisting of more than 500 houses, is experien-cing the same problem.
“We have to buy bottled water. It is absurd,” says Bhacela. “What about the residents who cannot afford to buy water?”
Plant decay at the reservoir in Mandela Park, supplying water to Nompumelelo Village, is the suspected root of the problem.
“The Mandela Park Water Treatment Plant abstracts raw water from the river situated in a densely populated vegetated area,” says Nomava Siqoko from KouKamma Municipality. “A high rate of decaying plants can lead to tannic acid in the water, lowering the pH of the water and giving it a tea colour.
“Although the colour of the water may appear to be unpleasant, the water is not harmful for human consumption.”
Siqoko says, “The municipality has applied for possible funding from the Municipal Disaster Grant to refurbish the entire treatment system, as various components of the treatment plant are only partially operatio-nal due to ageing infrastructure.”
Another problem facing the residents of Nompumelelo Village, is the lack of working street lights.
According to Bhacela, only four to six lights are in working order – leaving the Village in the dark at night.
“There is sufficient lighting, but not all lights are in a working condition,” says Siqoko.
“We are in the process of appointing a service provider to determine the cause of the lights not functioning.”
