Hout Bay is facing a looming health crisis as storm water flowing through Imizamo Yethu into the Disa River has been found to contain a staggering nine billion disease-causing organisms in less than half a cup of water.
Water Affairs’ guidelines are that water with only 2 000 such organisms in 100ml of water constitutes a “high risk”, even from partial contact with the polluted water.
And the area around Hout Bay’s reservoir, which supplies water to the suburb, is used as an open lavatory by people without access to sanitation.
The Disa River carries the polluted water through the residential area, across the beach into the bay. Mayor Helen Zille said on Wednesday that she had inspected Imizamo Yethu last Saturday after she first heard of the impending court action. “I’ve asked for the original water analysis report. It looks as if we could face a serious health crisis and obviously it is our responsibility to deal with that.”
Zille said she had climbed up to the reservoir on Saturday.
“I didn’t quite expect what I saw. There are no toilet facilities, so the entire area around the reservoir is used as a toilet.”
Margo Haywood, of Hout Bay’s community policing forum, said the forum had been negotiating with the city council for 13 years to sort out the problems in Imizamo Yethu. - Cape Times
Water Affairs’ guidelines are that water with only 2 000 such organisms in 100ml of water constitutes a “high risk”, even from partial contact with the polluted water.
And the area around Hout Bay’s reservoir, which supplies water to the suburb, is used as an open lavatory by people without access to sanitation.
The Disa River carries the polluted water through the residential area, across the beach into the bay. Mayor Helen Zille said on Wednesday that she had inspected Imizamo Yethu last Saturday after she first heard of the impending court action. “I’ve asked for the original water analysis report. It looks as if we could face a serious health crisis and obviously it is our responsibility to deal with that.”
Zille said she had climbed up to the reservoir on Saturday.
“I didn’t quite expect what I saw. There are no toilet facilities, so the entire area around the reservoir is used as a toilet.”
Margo Haywood, of Hout Bay’s community policing forum, said the forum had been negotiating with the city council for 13 years to sort out the problems in Imizamo Yethu. - Cape Times
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