Assessment of flood damage in the Taung area in the North West province began on Monday and is expected to be completed by Thursday.
Town mayor Boitumelo Mahlangu said on Monday the damage has to be assessed and communicated to provincial and national government to free funds for reconstruction.
”We have a vast area to cover and so assessment will take a few days. Engineers have been appointed to conduct the assessment and we only expect a report back on Wednesday or Thursday,” Mahlangu said.
About 1 500 houses, numerous bridges and roads were damaged or washed away by flooding that started at the time of last month’s national municipal vote. Sanitation and other utilities were also affected.
Mahlangu said the department of local government and housing is still distributing food and supplying clean water to affected areas.
On Friday, water in the Taung area tested positive for E coli, a bacteria that can cause the spread of diarrhoea and vomiting.
”We have taken care of that now. We have asked Sedibeng Water to supply water to the affected areas. This is to avoid using water from the boreholes,” Mahlangu said.
She added that water in the area is tested on a regular basis to ensure that it is not further contaminated. — Sapa