Parys’ drinking water disaster reported to the Department of Health and the National Institute of Communicable Diseases

AfriForum’s Parys branch today reported the ongoing dire state of the drinking water in the town to the Department of Health and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD). The branch asks that these departments intervene in the horrendous conditions before serious diseases break out in Parys which may even cause loss of life.

The complaint stems from the fact that the branch repeatedly warned the municipality since September about the E. Coli present in the drinking water and that it has gotten worse and worse. The municipality clearly does not understand the seriousness of the situation, seeing as no real efforts are made to turn the situation around.

In addition to the fact that the water is unfit for human consumption, there are parts of Parys where people have not had water in their taps for five years. The wastewater treatment plant is not at all up to standard, despite the agreement signed with AfriForum in which the municipality was given a thorough evaluation of both the water purification and the sewage disposal works with steps they must take to improve them.

“This water crisis in Parys is a perfect example of a municipality that is not at all concerned about the well-being of its residents. So much help has been offered to the Ngwathe municipality, but they do not heed it. The municipality is not competent or willing to solve this problem,” says Alta Pretorius, District Coordinator for the Mooiriver.