The Department of Water and Sanitation and the Vaalharts Water User Association (WUA) have warned communities living near water canals against swimming or conducting any recreational activities in these bodies of water, as this poses a high risk of drowning.

This follows the drowning of a 13-year-old boy from Bonita Park, an informal settlement located along the Vaalharts Main Canal, in the small town of Hartswater within the Phokwane Local Municipality in the Northern Cape on Tuesday.

It is reported that the 13-year-old child disappeared under water while swimming in the canal around 4pm.

The department said the South African Police Service (SAPS) divers are on site since the incident, in an effort to retrieve the body.

The department and the Vaalharts WUA, which manages the canal, has also been engaging with the local municipality, including the parents of the child and community members, as police work around the clock to retrieve the body.

‘The Vaalharts WUA have also opened all head sluices in its
weirs along the canal to prevent the child from getting stuck. The canal is running at full capacity, as the WUA had undertaken maintenance over the past weekend on dams in the Taung area,’ the department said.

According to the department, the water is currently running at 1.3 metres per second in speed, and volume can go up to 100 000 cubic metres per hour.

‘This means the water levels cannot be dropped at this time to ensure that dams with low levels recover, and the municipalities and irrigators continue to have access to water. As soon as it is possible to lower the water without the risk of putting lives in danger due to no access to water, it will be effected,’ the department explained.

The Vaalharts Main Canal stretches about 140 kilometres from the Vaal River at Warrenton in the Northern Cape, passing through the towns of Jan Kempdorp, Hartswater, Magogong, Taung and ends at the Pudimoe Water Treatment Works in Pudimoe, which ultimately treats and transfers potable water to Vryburg in the North Wes
t.

The canal is part of the Vaalharts Water Scheme, which has about 1 200 kilometres of canals managed by the WUA, of which the Vaalharts Main Canal is the longest and largest.

The department said drowning incidents are likely around canals and other water bodies during the summer season when temperatures are high and members of the community seek to cool off.

The department appealed to community members to desist from swimming or fishing in canals as it is dangerous.

‘We urge parents and communities to keep children away from running water, as it poses endangerment to their lives.’

The department added that ‘No Swimming’ signs have been placed along the canal to caution the public on the dangers of swimming in canals, and regularly conduct public education and community awareness campaigns on dam and canal safety.

Awareness campaigns are also conducted for school kids, teachers and parents, as well as interactions with the municipality.

‘The WUA also provides training to volunteers in communities arou
nd such infrastructure to be lifesavers and provide them with the necessary life saving equipment to enable them to assist members of the community, who find themselves in life threatening situations around water bodies,’ the department said.

Meanwhile, Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister, Sello Seithlolo, is expected to visit the area on Saturday to assess the situation.

Source: South African Government News Agency