The Ngwathe Local Municipality has roped in Sedibeng Water to assist with infrastructure-related issues at its Parys water treatment plant. The Free State town is the lesser-known casualty of the Vaal Water Crisis, with media coverage on the matter being dominated by the main culprit in the crisis - Emfuleni Local Municipality in Gauteng.

Ngwathe spokesperson, Steve Naale, echoes the explanation given by Save the Vaal’s Maureen Stewart in 2018, stating the drinking water at the Gauteng municipality is safe to drink because it comes from the Vaal Dam and undergoes an extensive purification process by Rand Water, while Parys on the other end bears the brunt of the pollution with it being located downstream where pollution accumulates. Ngwathe, which faces its own set of governance issues, has long struggled to sufficiently treat the raw water it retrieves from the Vaal River for consumption due to several problems at its water treatment plant. The result of this is the widely circulated pictures of brown water coming from domestic taps in the Free State town.

In a statement released on 10 February, Naale has broken down some of the municipality’s plans, which include Sedibeng Water acting as the “implementing agent” responsible for overseeing the project to “fix the Trident plant” which according to Naale is currently out of operation.

About 17 Jojo tanks – with more expected down the line - have reportedly been dispatched to alleviate the water shortage. The municipality is also busy with the “flushing of the underground network and unblocking old water meters as part of water conservation,” says Naale. The next task team meeting is expected to highlight progress made in solving the issues at the treatment plant.

OFM News