SA can never have too much rain, says Mchunu
The Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, says the amount of rain falling in South Africa “can never be too much”.
Mchunu’s remarks come amid heavy rain over large parts of South Africa over the past weeks, with storms and flooding causing havoc in KwaZulu-Natal.
The minister spoke at a two-day Water Services Authority Summit at Emperors Palace on Thursday.
"There will never be too much rain," said Mchunu.
"We rather settle people better, such that when the rain comes, they are secured. But we express our condolences to the families.”
To date, more than 30 people have lost their lives in the KZN floods.
At the same time, Mchunu warned that poor water quality could lead to chronic illnesses.
The Department of Water and Sanitation released the Blue and No Drop report in December.
The report revealed that there has been a decline in the performance of a lot of municipal drinking water systems since 2014.
Mchunu says more needs to be done to improve the country's water quality and systems.
"What was of particular concern for the public was finding that the percentage of drinking water systems with poor and bad microbiological compliance instead of the South African National Bureau of Standards and the World Health Organisation Standards had increased from 5% in 2014 to 46% in 2023.
"We have since resuscitated the assessments and are committed to ensuring that the past error does not occur.
"When reports were released last year, they showed a sharp decline in performance of both the quality of drinking water and water systems as well as a dramatic increase in non-revenue water and physical water losses. There were feelings of anxiety as to what is the next step for the government.
“The current situation is intolerable and indefensible. And ultimately, we will be forced to address it, if we do not address it on our own.
“We are rapidly approaching a situation where municipal managers, mayors and the directors general, minister of water and sanitation will personally face prison terms or fines for failing to address huge pollution," warned Mchunu.
The summit is set to end on Friday.
ALSO READ:
