JOHANNESBURG - Concerned with a cholera threat from its northern neighbour, Zimbabwe, South Africa could be overlooking a creeping water crisis of its own, as ageing infrastructure and rising demand spew potentially deadly bacteria into its water systems. When apartheid crumbled in 1994, an estimated 14 million South Africans
lacked access to a formal water supply, and about half the country – 21
million people – had no formal sanitation, according to the Department
of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF).
Since then, access to water has increased dramatically, but backlogs
persist: in 2008, about 5 million people were still in need of adequate
supplies, while three times more – 15 million people – lacked basic
sanitation.
The quality of municipal drinking water is monitored monthly, with
nearly all municipalities reporting an acceptable standard of water.
However, outdated infrastructure and problems in retaining skilled
staff have contributed to what DWAF admits are unacceptably high levels
of pollution in some rivers and dams.
South Africa’s tap water is among the best in the world, according to
DWAF spokesperson Linda Page. But with millions still lacking access to
flush toilets and piped water, the threat of waterborne diseases cannot
be ignored, she said.
In 2008, half of the municipal water supplies surveyed in Western Cape
Province, on the country’s south coast, had high levels of the
potentially deadly E. coli bacteria, according to a study released by
the provincial DWAF.
In impoverished districts like Ukhahlamba, in neighbouring Eastern Cape
Province, the problem is even more extreme. In 2008, Ukhahlamba
reported levels of E. coli and other bacteria that were so high in some
parts of its water supply it had been forced to issue "boil alerts" and
supply water to severely affected communities by tanker trucks,
according to presentations made to parliament in June.
Though E. coli can sometimes be traced back to certain industries, it
is often taken as an indication that water supplies were recently
contaminated with human or animal waste. That problem is being
exacerbated by the first heavy rains of the 2009 season, which can wash
contaminants into water systems.
Municipalities across the country have blamed poor water quality on a
lack of resources and capacity that has put far too much strain on
ageing water treatment plants. In 2004 South Africa had just 15,000
civil engineers, with the bulk in the private sector and only 11
percent working for local government.
A river runs through it
With its source high in the Drakensberg Mountains, the Vaal River
stretches more than 1,000km to become the main tributary to South
Africa’s longest waterway, the Orange River. It feeds large portions of
the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan area, the country’s economic
heartland, as well as most of the northern Free State Province.
It has also, in some areas, registered high enough levels of faecal
matter to warrant Rand Water, South Africa’s largest bulk water
utility, to warn that contact with the river may put people at risk of
serious infection.
One of the major problems is that our system is very old – our pump
station is giving us problems, almost everything is giving us problems
Every year thousands of tourists flock to the towns that dot the banks
of the Vaal. In sleepy Parys, visitors make up a vital part of the
local economy, but in December, when the extent of the pollution became
known, the town lost about US$180,000 a week in cancellations.
According to businessman Carl Cilliers, who runs a resort on the
river’s edge, a repeat performance could put him and his family out of
business.
Local wildlife is also struggling to cope with the environmental
impact. Recently, court-ordered contractors removed 20 tonnes of dead
fish after a local NGO, Save the Vaal River Environment (SAVE), took
the local Emfuleni municipality to court for leaking millions of litres
of raw sewage into the river. SAVE said the pollution had contributed
to stomach and intestinal disorders among nearby residents.
In its defence, Emfuleni municipality – well aware of its failing pumps
and ageing infrastructure – argues that it lacks the finances and
capacity to correct the situation.
"One of the major problems is that our system is very old – our pump
station is giving us problems, almost everything is giving us
problems," said Mojalefa Radebe, media relations officer at the
municipality’s Water Service Unit. In 2007, the municipality ran an
operational deficit of about US$4 million, with an outstanding US$2
million debt to Rand Water.
Solving the water puzzle
Dr Roman Tandlich, a lecturer at the Faculty of Pharmacy at Rhodes
University, in Eastern Cape, and former fellow of the university’s
Unilever Centre for Environmental Water Quality, said surface streams
and rivers like the Vaal were the sole source of water for many people
living in informal settlements, as well as rural and peri-urban areas.
While Tandlich admits there are backlogs in the provision of drinking
water and sanitation, and that mistakes have been made, he also
stresses the complex environment in which post-apartheid service
provision operates.
For instance, standard sanitation systems are problematic in townships,
and systems based on ventilated pit latrines, where an additional
ventilation shaft is dug alongside the main hole to reduce odour and
the presence of flies and mosquitoes, are being explored.
Studies from Ghana have shown that extremely high levels of government
subsidy are needed to fund conventional sewage systems, while
ventilated pit latrines have proven to be a cost-effective alternative.
"[The] backlog in service delivery is huge in South Africa," Tandlich
said. "Mistakes have been made in the past, but it also has to be
stated that some challenges are so unique that no easy answers or
parallels to draw on exist."
DWAF’s Page said funds have been put aside to address problems in
infrastructure, as well as the issues of budget management and skills
shortages.
(IRIN)
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