A steady drop in the water quality of rivers has sparked a city council warning to residents to avoid contact with water that has flowed through residential areas, particularly informal settlements.
"We acknowledge we have a problem and we don't have everything right, but we have a plan and a budget to fix it. What we emphasise is that people need to know," mayoral committee member for utility services Clive Justus said on Sunday.
He urged residents to heed notices and warning signs displayed in areas that were deemed unsafe.
Justus said scientists had detected increasing e-coli and faecal coliform counts in 14 rivers and 10 wetlands in the metropole, and found that the standard of water for recreational purposes had declined by almost half in the past eight years.
"Some counts are way above where they should be in some areas, mainly in rivers next to informal settlement areas, and slightly above in others. The idea of the warning is to tell people 'Be careful and don't play in the rivers. They are polluted', particularly at informal settlement areas," Justus said.
Justus said some vleis were less affected, as were golf courses and farms that received water recycled at waterworks plants before being pumped into rivers.
"This reduces the amount of fresh water they use. In vleis, the water quality is determined by the type of water that flows into that vlei," Justus said.
He said solid waste that washed into rivers during rains affected the type of water.
Justus said factors such as urbanisation, and aging. - Cape Times
"We acknowledge we have a problem and we don't have everything right, but we have a plan and a budget to fix it. What we emphasise is that people need to know," mayoral committee member for utility services Clive Justus said on Sunday.
He urged residents to heed notices and warning signs displayed in areas that were deemed unsafe.
Justus said scientists had detected increasing e-coli and faecal coliform counts in 14 rivers and 10 wetlands in the metropole, and found that the standard of water for recreational purposes had declined by almost half in the past eight years.
"Some counts are way above where they should be in some areas, mainly in rivers next to informal settlement areas, and slightly above in others. The idea of the warning is to tell people 'Be careful and don't play in the rivers. They are polluted', particularly at informal settlement areas," Justus said.
Justus said some vleis were less affected, as were golf courses and farms that received water recycled at waterworks plants before being pumped into rivers.
"This reduces the amount of fresh water they use. In vleis, the water quality is determined by the type of water that flows into that vlei," Justus said.
He said solid waste that washed into rivers during rains affected the type of water.
Justus said factors such as urbanisation, and aging. - Cape Times
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