The DA will report the ongoing water crises in Polokwane to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) and the Minister of Water and Sanitation as there is no tangible improvement since the SAHRC recommendations.
The SAHRC recently released a damning report on Access to Water and the Efficacy of Water Services Authorities in Limpopo and found that Polokwane Municipality “acknowledged that it is not providing water to all residents within its jurisdiction due to an increasing population, traditional leadership allocation of residential land that does not comply with the Municipal Development Master Plan, urbanization, as well as the lack of maintenance of aging infrastructure’.
The SAHRC recommended that the municipality provide them with a detailed plan within 3 months, indicating how the local authority will ensure continuous access to water in all affected areas; the DA is eagerly awaiting the report.
The City of Polokwane needs 100 million litres of water daily, and the 36% water losses adds up to 30 million unaccounted litres of water losses daily and this lowers the total supply to the city below 60 million litres per day.
It is not only the confirmed 36% water losses contributing to the crisis but also various other challenges influencing the water supply to the city; loadshedding and interrupted water supply from all water sources add further strain on the supply.
Areas in the City Cluster have been without sustainable water supply for months, and reservoir levels are struggling to gain pressure.
Water trucks are not effective with medical facilities such as Medi Clinic and the Provincial Hospital, which are dependent on water supply from the Polokwane Municipality.
These 2 facilities need 500 000 litres of water or 28 water truck deliveries daily just to cover their daily minimum requirements.
With medical facilities and schools receiving priority, there are just not enough water trucks or time to serve water to residents.
The recently purchased water trucks have little effect on water supply to residents, with some residents waiting 2 weeks for water delivery.
The millions of litres of unaccounted water losses daily cause great distress to residents and we will hold the municipality to the SAHRC recommendations to improve the lives of all who live in Polokwane.