Ekangala residents collect risky water after tap contamination
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Groundup
Residents of Ekangala, near Bronkhorstspruit in South Africa, collect water from a hole despite contaminated tap water and insufficient tanker deliveries. More than 400 cases of gastrointestinal illness have been recorded in the area, while the City of Tshwane promises to improve distribution, reports GroundUp.
Residents of Dark City, in Ekangala near Bronkhorstspruit, are using water from a roadside hole for drinking, cooking and washing after tap water was contaminated. The water point has not been identified and tanker deliveries from the City of Tshwane do not meet their needs, reports GroundUp.
Christina Ntuli, 71, pushes a wheelbarrow loaded with containers for about 1.5 kilometres to reach the hole. Residents say the municipality has sent only one or two tankers a week since 14 October. More than 20 people were taking turns collecting water on Wednesday, according to GroundUp, which could not establish its source.
Ntuli and her family say they have suffered diarrhoea and abdominal pain in recent days. Sophie Ranch, 65, says the water is also used by goats, cattle and dogs, fuelling fears of further illnesses. Some families stopped drinking tap water as early as September because of its discolouration.
Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya said the municipality was working to improve tanker distribution and had asked Rand Water to speed up repairs. More than 400 cases of gastrointestinal illness have been recorded in Bronkhorstspruit and neighbouring communities, with no confirmed date for tap water to become safe to drink again.
The situation described in Ekangala extends the crisis reported on 23 October in the article on reliable access to drinking water in Ekangala. It follows Tshwane’s recommendation on 22 October to boil water in Pretoria.
