Water-Can’s Water and Environment Manager, Ferrial Adam said the results do not necessarily mean that the water is not safe for drinking.
Municipalities in KZN and Limpopo were amongst the top worst in the country.
Adam said not only ddid Limpopo municipalities do badly on the Blue Drop (which measures the quality of drinking water, they also did badly on the Greed Drop (which focuses on the state of waste water treatment plants)
“The water is Limpopo is really concerning and every municipality in the area did very badly,” she said.
Adam said there is a combination of reasons behind the low-quality water in some municipalities.
“Lack of technical skills throughout the country, the lack of ability to test water, corruption and mismanagement at municipal level are the some of the reasons behind in municipalities that had low-quality water. “
Ferrial Adam
Adam also pointed out that the research was conducted in January to December in 2021 and was not taken recently after the floods in KZN.
In March, Hammanskraal residents called on the Presidency to intervene in the ongoing water crisis which has lasted for about two decades.
The Rooiwal WasteWater treatment plant which supplies Hammanskraal in Pretoria North was contaminated with human faeces a while back. Residents have had to use and consume the contaminated water which poses serious health risks.
This week, community leaders in Hammanskraal called on the Presidency to intervene. Residents said they get runny tummies whenever they drink the water. They also alleged that complaints about the crisis have fallen on deaf ears.
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) also probed the ongoing crisis in Hammanskraal. Its report found the City of Tshwane had not met its constitutional obligation to provide clean water to residents.
The Commission said lack of clean water was a violation of Human Rights as families say they can’t use the brownish and slimy water coming out of their taps.
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