Town knee-deep in water crisis

GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - Residents of Graaff-Reinet have been well aware of the crisis regarding the poor quality of drinking water in the town for some time, and the critical situation with the drought and lack of water in the Nqweba Dam brought matters to a head in the last week.

Corene Conradie, a financial adviser working in North Street, was horrified last Wednesday when she arrived at work to find an elderly woman lying on the pavement, clearly in distress.

It seems that the woman had been ill with stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea for several days, and thought that it could be because of the discoloured water from her taps, so she had stopped drinking the yellow-tinged water.

The woman told Conradie that there was also a 3-year-old child at home who she said also got sick from the yellow tap water.

The woman had walked from Zammaville in Umasizakhe with an empty 2 litre cooldrink bottle to collect tank water from the doctors' rooms in North Street.

"She was too weak to walk back to Umasizakhe and was lying on the pavement. She said that she had been unable to eat for several days, and had drunk no water," said Conradie, who immediately called an ambulance for the woman. According to the paramedics, the patient was severely dehydrated and was taken to hospital and put on a drip.

Conradie was very moved by this woman's plight and put up an appeal on a local community Facebook page for donations of fresh water for the family to be dropped off at her office, which she would then arrange to be taken to the family in Umasizakhe.

From here, things quickly snowballed, and the positive powers of social media brought a wonderful response.

Offers of help poured in, and local councillor Samantha Graham joined forces with Conradie to coordinate efforts, as it was apparent that many other families were also having problems.

"The municipality says that the water is safe to drink, but that it should be boiled as a precaution - it still looks and tastes horrible after boiling, and I can't even use it to cook vegetables!" said one irate resident.

One of the first groups to be helped was a family of 19, most of whom are young children. Well-known local businessman CJ Serfontein personally delivered 50 litres of tank water to the family in Santaville, and the gratitude was clear to see on the faces of the recipients.

A Facebook page was created to bring together those keen to assist the less fortunate during this water crisis. As Conradie explained, not everyone can afford to buy bottled water, and especially vulnerable are the old people and children in the poorer communities.

Drop-off points were established at Pick n Pay, both Spars, Old Mutual in North Street, Oasis, Kudu Garage workshop, the Assembly Church and the Giant Flag House at 28 Cradock Street.

The Giant Flag also very generously made their yellow Jeep available to assist with deliveries, and CMR has offered the use of a bakkie. As well as water, empty containers are also needed, as several farmers have been bringing in water to be distributed.

Last Saturday, teams delivered water that had been donated to a number of families in Kroonvale, Santaville and Umasizakhe, the Assemblies Church in Asherville and a Children's Home. James Brodie and his wife Sandy also brought 1000 litres of water from their farm, and community members brought containers to fill from this. "The response from this community within two days of us launching our project is just incredible" said Cllr Graham. She offered special thanks to Rodney Mare, Ricardo Smith, Rudolf Rossouw, Glenda Mackelina, Joy Williams, Clifford and Nicola Beldon, VC Beldon, Cindy Roux, and Thobeka Booysen for the amazing help so far.

Social media reaches far and wide, and offers of monetary help have come in from around the country. To facilitate this, a bank account has been opened for donations at Capitec bank. Anyone wishing to help can deposit to the savings account GRT Water, account number 162 483 5390, with branch code 470010.

Conradie has been thrilled to see that her small request for help has escalated to be able to reach so many people. "It has been wonderful to see how the community has come together, with people from all walks of life taking hands, irrespective of race or political affiliation," she said.

A Port Elizabeth resident, Marina Skuy, has donated twenty 5 litre bottles of water for needy families, and the organisers are appealing to anyone who would be able to bring these to Graaff-Reinet.

Anyone able to offer help in any way can contact Corene Conradie on 079 226 6916 or Samantha Graham on 083 409 9196.

In the last week, the quality of the dam water became such that it could no longer be used, due to the brown colour and offensive smell and taste. On 8 February the Dr. Beyers Naudé Local municipality issued a statement that the water supply from the Nqweba Dam to communities would be shut down.

According to the statement, this will contribute towards a better water quality but will cause a slight decrease in the quantity of the water available, as the pressure to high lying areas will be decreased. Water trucks have been made available to these areas.

Residents have reported that the colour of the water has improved, but the taste and smell are still most unpleasant. "I almost threw up while brushing my teeth this morning, as the water smells revolting," said one resident of Bergendal on Tuesday.

The municipality announced on Tuesday that it will be conducting a series of meetings in different areas of Graaff-Reinet to inform residents about the current state of the water supply.

Cllr Graham, who is currently in East London during the week for medical treatment, has given all the facts on the water crisis to the SABC, and on Wednesday, Conradie was interviewed telephonically by Siviwe Songwiqi for a segment on the news on all SABC radio stations.

Songwiqi also plans to also conduct an interview for broadcast on television news, once a camera crew is available.

Corene Conradie and councillor Samantha Graham joined forces to coordinate water-relief efforts.