AfriForum tests water quality in Mpumalanga East

AfriForum tested the water in Piet Retief, Ermelo, Belfast, Machadodorp, Dullstroom, Lydenburg, White River and Nelspruit in May 2017 to determine the quality of the drinking and treated waste water of these towns.

“We established that the drinking water in the province is clean and does not contain any heavy metals. In addition to that, bacteria levels also adhere to applicable standards. AfriForum will continuously test the water quality to protect the constitutional rights of residents and to make sure that they are supplied with clean drinking water,” says Johann Weber, AfriForum’s Regional Coordinator for Mpumalanga East.

However, the civil rights organisation expressed its concern regarding the treated waste water which does not adhere to the applicable standards, and the municipalities responsible. “Our rivers are continuously being polluted by inefficient sewage networks which as a result of poor maintenance by the local municipalities are continuously declining and threatening the quality of our water resources,” says Weber furthermore.

AfriForum’s national blue and green drop project focuses on the quality of the drinking water and sewage plants of towns. The project does not necessarily focus on the condition of the sewage plant itself, but rather on the quality of water released after the process as end result in the form of drinking water (blue drop) and treated sewage (green drop).

“We request the residents of these towns to give AfriForum the mandate to continuously monitor the water quality of the towns. SMS your town’s name to 45350 to support this project. Each SMS costs R1,” concludes Weber.