Eastern Cape Department of Water and Sanitation urges inhabitants of Nelson Mandela Bay Metro to use water responsibly

The Eastern Cape’s Department of Water and Sanitation urged inhabitants of Nelson Mandela Bay Metro to use water responsibly and urged communities to stop water sources from being contaminated.

President Cyril Ramaphosa observed International Nelson Mandela Day in the Metro, where he spent the day cleaning the Swartkops River in Emlotheni Township in Veeplaas with Minister Senzo Mchunu, Premier Oscar Mabuyane, and Councillor Eugene Johnson.

The Department has recommitted to working relentlessly to stop taps from totally drying out while collaborating with the provincial government and a number of organisations, both NGOs and the commercial sector in the province.

This time, the Department has the support of the office of the Presidency.

The need for prudent water use and demand reduction, the early detection and repair of leaks (domestic and municipal), the optimization of groundwater use through the drilling and management of boreholes (where we have seen activities of the private sector, NGOs, and government through the Metro funded by COGTA), and the introduction of water infrastructure like the upgrade of the Nooitgedacht Water Treatment Works funded by the DWS and are all intervention efforts.

“Water contamination poses a severe threat to water security in the country, second only to drought and its impacts, which many of us have witnessed in the province and some regions of the country,” declared Minister Mchunu.

Communities in the province and around the nation, according to Minister Mchunu, should engage in active citizenship by spearheading efforts to clean up water sources.

Because we want to maintain a clean and healthy environment and ensure our local water supply, we shouldn’t only do it because it’s Mandela Day, he said.

After cleaning up the Swartkops River, President Ramaphosa spoke to the locals and told them that the Department and the provincial government are making every effort to secure water supply in the Metro and throughout the province.

Residents cheered enthusiastically in response, expressing new optimism for the future of their neighbourhood.

The Department’s Clear Rivers campaign, which is held in July and serves as a rallying cry for action to stop water pollution, took place at the same time as the river cleanup.

South Africa is a water-scarce country; this year’s topic is “Clean up and protect water resources.”