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An E-coli scare in De Aar has raised concerns about the lack of proactive water testing in Emthanjeni municipality. This comes after water sampling tests conducted earlier in September, at the Montana Clinic in Amandel Street by Pixley ka Seme district municipality, have found water to be non-compliant due a high number of Coliforms and the presence of E-Coli.

The fact that the tested water is not fit for human consumption, is very concerning to the DA.

Even more concerning, however, is the lack of urgency with which Emthanjeni municipality responded to this crisis. Despite receiving notification of the test results late last week, they only this week attempted to attend to the matter through the application of additional chemicals. They have also not issued a formal warning to affected residents.

The impact of the contaminated water is far reaching, affecting not only the clinic but also a number of households in Ward 1.

The DA has submitted a letter to Emthanjeni municipality, asking that Council urgently receives a briefing from Pixley ka Seme district municipality on their most recent findings, and that we are also provided with a breakdown of water quality test results for all wards, as we are concerned that the matter may be more widespread than initially thought.

We also want an investigation conducted to determine the source of the contamination. If faecal content is getting into the water supply, we want to know how and where this is occurring, so that urgent measures can be taken to prevent it.

DA constituency head of Bo-Karoo, Fawzia Rhoda, will further report the matter to the Department of Water and Sanitation and request that they also perform water quality tests in Emthanjeni.

Given the increasingly poor state of our rivers, growing number of sewerage spills across the province and the escalated possibility of water contamination, it is becoming more important to proactively address water quality issues in a responsible and transparent manner.

Issued by Cllr Roweda Adams-Beukes - Emthanjeni Municipality