Jubie Matlou
More than two million South Africans will observe Water Week 2000 next week without adequate access to clean water and sanitation because of the extensive flood damage to water works infrastructure in Mpumalanga, the Northern Province and the North-West.
The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry estimates the damage to infrastructure to be R100-million. Temporary water supply and sanitation lines have been installed, until repairs are completed.
The worst-affected areas are Nkomazi and Nsikazi in Mpumalanga, and the Thohoyandou, Messina and Tzaneen- Phalaborwa areas in the Northern Province.
Kabokweni, the White River township, has been thrown back to the days when residents used to fetch water from a nearby stream and the modern toilet system was still a pipe dream.
The taps are dry and there is no water available to flush toilets. When nature calls, residents carry water by bucket to flush the toilet. A stench fills the air from the sewer that spilled on to the streets.
Drinking and household water is stored in all kinds of containers, from steel drums and urns to plastic buckets. Mothers have their hands full, frequently boiling water or adding samples of bleach into water containers – all with the intent of keeping disease at bay.
As rivers and streams burst their banks, high silt deposits blocked inlets of river pumps and damaged main water lines and sewer lines serving Kabokweni.
Health officials fear an outbreak of infectious diseases such as cholera and typhoid. According to Dr Dave Durrheim of the Mpumalanga Medical Joint Operations Command, there are a few isolated cases that have been reported.
“There have been individual cases of diarrhoea and dysentery seen at most clinics in the Lowveld, as is usual during the rainy season. The number of typhoid admissions to date have not increased.”
Kabokweni’s story is a microcosm of the disaster. More than 50 rural villages in the Nkomazi and Nsikazi areas were cut off from the main towns that supply them with food and fuel as bridges were washed away by water. Bread was a luxury in many villages, because delivery vans and trucks couldn’t reach affected areas.
In response to the crisis, the Mpumalanga disaster management committee established local operational committees in the affected areas.
A temporary pipeline is providing Themba hospital with its water needs, and another pipeline has been installed to meet the needs of the township residents. A number of temporary sewage ponds have also been installed in different sections of the township.
In addition, 40 water trucks are deployed to provide water to the Nkomazi and Nsikazi areas. Diesel boreholes are also used to deliver water to affected communities, and a total of 22 bridges have been re-opened to restore contact with rural villages.
According to Cobus Erasmus, employer representative of the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, the situation is now under control with the temporary measures in place.
Erasmus estimates the damage to infrastructure to be around R25-million.
The department has also embarked on a health-awareness campaign to educate communities about water purification measures. About 95 000 leaflets have been distributed in the affected areas to combat the spread of infectious diseases. More than 62 000 litres of domestic bleach have been procured, and 30 000 litres have been distributed for water purification purposes.
Meanwhile, criminals are reported to be hampering relief efforts in Kabokweni, robbing and harassing relief officials and workers operating in the area.
All in all, the flood damage in Mpumalanga is estimated at R45-million.
In the Northern Province, the situation is also critical regarding damage to infrastructure such as dams, roads, bridges and schools. A total of 88 rural villages are cut off and 388 schools are inaccessible.
The Northern Province disaster management committee estimates damage to the water infrastructure to be R56-million, damage to government agricultural projects to be R38- million, and damage to schools to be R500 000. A total of 72 roads, throughout the province, were damaged.
As for the North-West, the water affairs department estimates damage to water works infrastructure to be about R5-million.