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The country’s water infrastructure, meant to sustain life in the form of both drinking water and sanitation, is gradually degrading due to the criminality sweeping the country. In the process this is denying law-abiding citizens of SA basic human rights as enshrined in the constitution.
The latest Green Drop report released by the department of water & sanitation on March 30 showed wastewater compliance has been dropping. Out of 850 municipal wastewater treatment works, 334 (39%) are in a critical state, obtaining a score of 30% or less. Vandalism of infrastructure is the main contributing factor in the malfunctioning of most treatments works.
At first criminals used to participate in their acts during the night or when there was load-shedding, but this has now escalated to a whole new level. They are scrapping water and sanitation infrastructure right in the presence of the public. Electrical cables are cut, dug up and carried with bare hands, while those who the infrastructure is meant for look on and do nothing, let alone report the crimes to the law enforcement agencies.
Are community members going to be spectators, silent up until your services cease, carried away by criminals, people you know? Wake up SA! The time has come for everyone to take responsibility for our infrastructure. Generators can replace electricity for a certain period, but water has no substitute. Water is life.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has said load-shedding will be around for longer than anticipated because our infrastructure is stretched. This could lead to more regular interruptions of water pumping and supplies to reservoirs and taps in both households and industries.
Marcus Monyakeni Department of water & sanitation
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
LETTER: Criminals destroy our infrastructure unimpeded
The country’s water infrastructure, meant to sustain life in the form of both drinking water and sanitation, is gradually degrading due to the criminality sweeping the country. In the process this is denying law-abiding citizens of SA basic human rights as enshrined in the constitution.
The latest Green Drop report released by the department of water & sanitation on March 30 showed wastewater compliance has been dropping. Out of 850 municipal wastewater treatment works, 334 (39%) are in a critical state, obtaining a score of 30% or less. Vandalism of infrastructure is the main contributing factor in the malfunctioning of most treatments works.
At first criminals used to participate in their acts during the night or when there was load-shedding, but this has now escalated to a whole new level. They are scrapping water and sanitation infrastructure right in the presence of the public. Electrical cables are cut, dug up and carried with bare hands, while those who the infrastructure is meant for look on and do nothing, let alone report the crimes to the law enforcement agencies.
Are community members going to be spectators, silent up until your services cease, carried away by criminals, people you know? Wake up SA! The time has come for everyone to take responsibility for our infrastructure. Generators can replace electricity for a certain period, but water has no substitute. Water is life.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has said load-shedding will be around for longer than anticipated because our infrastructure is stretched. This could lead to more regular interruptions of water pumping and supplies to reservoirs and taps in both households and industries.
Marcus Monyakeni
Department of water & sanitation
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
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