SOUTH AFRICA: WATER:
Diepsloot water restored after eight days of misery

4/23/2012 4:20:12 AM
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JOHANNESBURG - Thousands of residents in Diepsloot, a township north of Johannesburg, South Africa, queued for hours to access clean, safe water a week after their supply was contaminated by sewage. - The contamination occurred when a contractor working on a nearby sewer line broke the water pipe and contaminated Diepsloot water with sewage. However, a week after the incident, residents say there are not enough temporary water tanks to provide potable water for everyone in the township of over 150,000 people. Johannesburg Water spokesperson Millicent Kabwe says the city provided 65 stationary tanks with a capacity of 5,000 litres each and 12 mobile tanks for residents to use in the interim. Women and children were often seen in long queues desperately waiting for clean water to use for basic needs such as drinking, cooking and bathing. Johannesburg Water has been criticised by South Africa’s official opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, for its slow progress in restoring safe drinking water to Diepsloot. Professor Akpofure Taigbenu from the Water Engineering Department at the University of the Witwatersrand says it takes a few days to restore safe, clean water after it has been contaminated. Eight days after the Diepsloot water was cut, the City of Johannesburg finally informed residents of Diepsloot that the water was fully restored and safe to drink in all areas. (END/RADIO BULLETIN EDITOR/2012)

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