POISONOUS TEMBISA WATER POSE DANGER TO RESIDENTS

 The Democratic Alliance recently took water samples in Tembisa for testing and this is what we found:            

• The water contains high levels of harmful bacteria;         
• This bacteria is caused by the contamination of the water by human and animal faeces,       
• Due to the presence of these bacteria, the water is unfit for any recreational use and is certainly unfit to drink

The health risks that this water pose, is the following:         

• Diarrhoea,
• Skin infections,
• Ear infections,
• Respiratory infections  

Type of bacteria                                        Amount acceptable in water                   What we found in Tembisa
E-Coli                                                                        1000                                                       43 000
General bacteria in water                                        5000                                                       490 000
Coliforms (human and animal faeces)                   30                                                           80 000

The contamination of the water has escalated to this dangerous level because the Ekurhuleni Municipality has failed to maintain sewerage and water infrastructure in Tembisa.  

Due to the seriousness of the situation and the lack of action taken by the Ekhurhuleni municipality to date, the DA will be raising this matter with the National Minister of Water and Sanitation.

Michael Waters MP, Lethabong Constituency Head, mwaters@democratic-alliance.co.za    Contact the author of the petition