STILL MORE WORK TO BE DONE TO END VAAL RIVER POLLUTION, SAYS DWS

The Water and Sanitation Department has been keeping a close eye on the Sedibeng District in Vereeniging since 2021 when it noticed the area failed to manage its water and sanitation.

FILE: The Vaal River. Picture: Louise McAuliffe/Eyewitness News.

FILE: The Vaal River. Picture: Louise McAuliffe/Eyewitness News.

Tamika Gounden | 28 August 2023 12:43

JOHANNESBURG – Despite the Water and Sanitation Department’s efforts to eradicate pollution in the Vaal River, it said there was still a lot of work to be done on water infrastructure in the area.

The department has been keeping a close eye on the Sedibeng District in Vereeniging since 2021 when it noticed the area failed to manage its water and sanitation.

Sewer spillages from communities and old water infrastructure have resulted in the raw water source being heavily polluted over the years.

Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister David Mahlobo visited the area at the weekend to oversee the various interventions taken to ensure water was clean in the Sedibeng regional sewer systems.

The environment around the Vaal River in Vereeniging has been challenged with aging water and sanitation networks, sewage spillages and an outdated design capacity.

The Water and Sanitation Department said that Rand Water’s performance was currently being tested against its pace to eradicate sanitation challenges in the Sedibeng municipality.

But the bulk water supplier said that according to its latest progress, critical pumping stations needed to be upgraded and three vital collapsed pipes needed to be refurbished.

It added that it was in the process of upgrading the water treatment pumping stations so that they were able to handle the increased capacity of wastewater coming in.

Mahlobo said while he was satisfied with the progress made so far, the department needed to ensure residents in the area weren’t exposed to poor water quality any longer.