Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister Sello Seitlholo will today assess the conditions of water and waste water treatment infrastructure in the North West following the recent detection of the cholera causing bacterium in raw water.

The Deputy Minister will begin his programme by meeting with various stakeholders at the Lekwa-Teemane Council Chambers in Bloemhof. He will then proceed to site inspection visits at Bloemhof Dam, Christiana Waste Water Treatment Works and the Bloemhof Water Treatment Works.

‘The Deputy Minister will meet different stakeholders and the Executive Mayors of Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, Francis Baard and Pixley ka Seme District Municipalities to assess their progress in implementing recommendations made by the department to comply with the required standards of effluent before it is discharged into water courses.

‘He will also assess the conditions of the water treatment works and waste water treatment plants in Bloemhof and Christiana, under Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District,’ the
Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) said.

The department recently issued a warning about the presence of cholera bacteria in raw water along the Harts and Vaal rivers following a routine raw water sampling at five monitoring sites, namely, Wentzel dam, Schweizer Reneke, Christiana, Barkley West Caravan Park, and Douglas Weir.

The presence of environmental non-toxic cholera (Vibrio cholerae) has also been confirmed at Wentzel Dam in Harts River near Schweizer Reneke and Pampierstad.

The department has identified the possible pollution sources to be from the discharge of wastewater treatment works effluent into the rivers.

Seitlholo will also release the latest report following the tests that were conducted at the water courses.

Source: South African Government News Agency