The article published on The New Age 1 July 2015 page 3 of the Free State edition has reference.
The Platberg sewage pump station that falls under the Mantsopa Local Municipality has been non-operational for some time; this due to requisite procedures that have to be followed in order to fix the pump station. The Department of Water and Sanitation team visited the site on 12 March 2015 to verify facts about the complaint that was received on sewage spillage.
The findings were as follows:
- The was an overflowing of the pump station in Platberg;
- There was a water leakage opposite house number 1 173 in Platberg and next to the newly built hospital;
- Amongst other things was a general complaint of unclean or poor quality drinking water.
The interventions based on the findings above were as follows:
- The municipality was in the process of fast tracking paper work in order to get the supplier for the pump station to be fixed; this process is underway.
- The municipality had to attend to the leakages that were found as a matter of urgency
- The water quality that the residents complain about is due to maintenance and does not last long as the colour also changes.
In this regard the DWS would like to highlight that its role on this issue was to monitor the compliance side. The municipality is still responsible for operating and maintaining its infrastructure. The department also advices on the standards and procedures that have to be followed in order to maintain the pump station in a correct and operational state that ensures that the lives of people and livestock are safe, and that the environment is protected.
This implies therefore that the DWS is still monitoring progress on the issue and to ensure the municipality’s compliance in terms of the overall protection of the water resource.
For more information contact:
Sputnik Ratau
Cell: 082 874 2942
