Declare sewerage-ridden Vaal a disaster – Sisulu
Following a meeting with community leaders, unions and the business sector in the Sedibeng District Municipality on Tuesday to receive an update on the Vaal Intervention Project, the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Lindiwe Sisulu suggests that declaring the Vaal a disaster area will enable government to speed up work on the sewage crisis.
This comes after Sisulu received a report from Ekurhuleni Water Care Company (ERWAT) detailing the progress made to solve the Vaal sewage crisis, which has led to concerns over the quality of drinking water.
“I would love to have this declared a national key point, because when it doesn’t work it is a national issue, it’s national crisis for us.”
Jacaranda FM reports that Sisulu says close to R89 million has been lost due to community unrest in the area – money that is supposed to have been used to fix the sewage crisis and create employment.
“Please understand that the sabotage is causing us more money… we are here today, we will be here on a regular basis, my team is here on a daily basis.”
ERWAT has been appointed by the government to take over the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) work on the Vaal River.
