The Democratic Alliance has called on KwaZulu-Natal’s ANC-run government to urgently implement emergency measures within eThekwini. This after it was revealed by that 80% of waste water works within the Metro are currently non-functional.
The dire situation was revealed during a recent KZN CoGTA portfolio committee.
EThekwini’s ongoing sewage crisis has now affected all rivers within the Metro, which are now severely polluted while many beaches also remain closed.
The DA’s call for emergency measures – made during a Sitting of the KZN Legislature [yesterday] – comes as our province experiences unprecedented disaster. Not only are the lives of people being placed at risk, the economic impact is set to be enormous as tourists choose not to visit a city drowning in sewage.
It is now critical that the provincial government take urgent steps to ensure the safety of the Metro’s residents and ensure that they are not exposed to contaminated drinking water.
Immediate interventions must include;
• Improving capacity within eThekwini’s water department by accessing the services of specialised engineers to assist with rebuilding and repair processes and;
• Assisting eThekwini to access funds needed for this important work and;
• Fast-tracking Supply Chain Management (SCM) processes given that this is an ongoing disaster.
The harsh reality is that eThekwini had serious sewage removal and water provision issues even before the April/May floods. This due to the lack of maintenance of existing infrastructure by the national, provincial and local government spheres of government.
This shocking situation indicates a clear lack of leadership and political which has only exacerbated the current situation.
The DA in KZN will continue to fight for the right of every citizen to live in a safe and healthy environment. We will not allow this matter to rest until solutions are implemented.
