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Amid growing water problems in Emthanjeni municipality, the Democratic Alliance will increase pressure on the Northern Cape Department of Health to budget towards urgently operationalising the De Aar hospital reservoir. 

The municipality has provided the hospital with a direct water connection but the water is only sufficient for flushing toilets and showers. No water, therefore, goes into the system that supplies the fire hoses with water, creating a serious risk that is further aggravated by the extreme heat conditions and general water shortages in De Aar.

The hospital reservoir, which was built with the sole purpose of making the hospital self-sufficient, remains a white elephant. This is due to the pumps, which must pump water from the municipal reservoir to the hospital, being affected by consistently low water levels over the past few months.

Following a meeting earlier this week with the hospital's Chief Executive Officer (CEO), he confirmed that the Department of Public Works recently visited the hospital to put a plan in place to solve De Aar hospital’s water problems. This includes the high lime levels in the water, affecting the functionality of the geysers and the aircon.

The plan centres around the installation of solar poles at two boreholes, near the hospital, as proposed by the municipality. This will serve to pump water directly to the currently disused hospital reservoir.

The DA wants the department to ensure that it avails funding for the project during the 2023/24 financial year, otherwise patients and hospital staff will be at the mercy of hospital water shortages for yet another year.

The DA will continue to seek a guarantee from the hospital CEO that this matter will be addressed in the new financial year. At a provincial level, the DA will also request to see the plans that are being drafted by the Roads and Public Works Department, and also seek a commitment from the MEC of Health, that financing will indeed be availed to allow for the execution of this plan.

Issued by Councillor Gerhard Engelbrecht - Emthanjeni Municipality