The DA in Gauteng has voiced its concerns regarding residents living near the Jukskei River.
Leanne De Jager, the DA’s spokesperson for Environment, highlighted the severe health risks posed by raw sewage spilling into the river.
According to a report the DA received, the presence of foul-smelling water, foam, and faecal matter in local water sources is both alarming and unacceptable.
“The DA has already written to the MEC for Environment, Sheila Peters, seeking her urgent intervention in this issue. We have demanded that the department launch a comprehensive investigation to determine the source of the effluent spillage and the extent of the pollution.
“The issue may be linked to a failure in the municipal sewerage infrastructure, but an investigation is required to confirm the root cause. This issue must be resolved soon, as the integrity of the local ecosystem is paramount. The pollution of the Jukskei River is a serious matter that requires full attention,” said De Jager.
She further said that the source of the issue needed to be identified, the pollution contained, and the necessary steps taken to ensure the health and safety of the residents and the protection of the province’s natural resources.
“A DA government will ensure that all the rivers in the province affected by pollution are cleaned, and rivers are monitored continuously for any pollution.”
The Jukskei River, deeply eroded over time, has long been used as a dumping ground for the city’s sewage, stormwater, litter, industrial waste, and building rubble
Residents on the Jukskei River’s banks dump trash and sewage directly into it.
This contributes to increased pollution in the river and this result in it to becoming excessively narrow.
Recently, the City of Johannesburg launched an investigation into the cause of the pollution in the river. This was after officials discovered dead fish in the waterfall area and along local dams weeks ago.
Gauteng Department of Environmental Affairs spokesperson, Andile Gumede, said the issue of the Jukskei River didn’t fall under the jurisdiction of the department.
“The quality of water in the Jukskei River, like all other rivers, is monitored by the national Department of Water and Sanitation in terms of their River Health Monitoring Programme. A province has no mandate of rivers, dams, lakes and other large water bodies,” Gumede explained.
He further said there were no abstraction of potable water that was undertaken from the Jukskei currently or in the future.
“Rand Water abstracts water from the Vaal Barrage and processes it till it meets SANS standard for drinking water. As indicated above, the cleaning of Jukskei is a national mandate.”
The Department of Water and Sanitation spokesperson, Mandla Mathebula, didn’t respond to questions sent to him at the time of print.
The Star