The Democratic Alliance (DA) kicked off the “Save our Rivers” tour in Warrenton, where the Vaal River flows from the North West into the Northern Cape. The tour follows growing concern about the state of the province’s river network, especially after the recent discovery of Cholera in the Vaal.
On inspection of a portion of the Vaal River in Warrenton, the rotten smell and extent of visible pollution such as plastic and bottles, was alarming. Magareng municipality already faces significant water challenges, where communities have in instances been left without water for months on end. Windsorton Station is a case in point, where the municipality’s failure to replace the stolen control box and restore the solar pump, has dragged on for over a year. The Cholera crisis will severely aggravate the existing challenge to provide drinkable water to residents, who have been warned to even boil their tap water.
In the Northern Cape, we are largely dependent on both the Vaal and Orange Rivers for drinking water, crop irrigation, tourism and business support. Water is life, food security and jobs and without this, the province will face a crisis of epic proportions.
Through the “Save our Rivers” tour the DA will be inspecting different points of the Vaal and Orange River, which is also being increasingly affected by sewerage contamination. Hence our previous request to the Deputy Minister of Water, Sello Seitlholo to include it in the newly launched Vaal River Anti-Pollution Forum (VAPF), as it meets up with the Vaal in Douglas.
We will use our findings from the tour to create awareness about the dire state of our river system and amplify pressure on local, provincial and national government departments to do more to protect our rivers now, before an even worse water crisis develops.