The incident occurred around the more serious issue of water quality and sanitation. Image: Pixabay
Live fish comes out of kitchen tap in Komatipoort amidst water-quality crisis
Amidst a sewage crisis in Nkomazi Municipality, a fish was discovered swimming out of a resident’s kitchen tap.
The incident occurred around the more serious issue of water quality and sanitation. Image: Pixabay
A woman in Komatipoort turned on her kitchen tap and found a live fish swimming in the water, ‘possibly trying to escape the raw sewage situation’.
Lené Roux – chair of the Komatipoort Despondent Residents Association (KDRA) – said that although it was tiny, the small fish was alive and well.
Roux was able to rescue it and relocate it to her koi pond to give it a chance at survival.
The comical fish incident occurred around the wider, more serious issue of water quality and sanitation in the Nkomazi municipality, writes Moneyweb.
The severity of the sewage spills
The town of Komatipoort in Mpumalanga has been grappling with raw sewage spills, leaving residents and visitors gasping for fresh air while enduring hazardous conditions.
After appeals to the Nkomazi Local Municipality went unanswered, the KDRA turned to the high court for help.
The severity of the problem caused an evacuation at the local Transnet building. It’s also seen customers wading through sewage to get to town stores.
The contamination has extended to the Crocodile River. A leak at a pump station in the town has seen raw sewage flowing into a communal vegetable garden, where residents grow fresh produce to earn a living.
The mess has attracted swarms of flies, posing a further health hazard.
What the municipality said
It was reported that the Nkomazi Municipality largely agreed with the residents’ concerns. It acknowledged the existence of a water shortage and sewage spillage in Komatipoort and surrounds, and into the Crocodile River.
They attributed the sewage spills to poorly-managed waste disposal sites and sewage works in Komatipoort, emphasising a need for attention and improvement.
After legal proceedings, the court issued an order mandating the municipality to urgently address the sewage spills, rehabilitate contaminated sites, and provide clean drinking water to residents.
The municipality was given 21 days to comply and report back to the court.
The court also granted residents permission to hire an expert to oversee sewage operations for 12 weeks, with the municipality covering the costs.
“Our expert [has been] in Komatipoort since 25 April and last week Thursday raw sewage was still flowing from three different points,” says Vidette Roux, an attorney who is representing the residents
“At one of the points the municipality took steps to unblock the pipes, but they failed to stop the spillage once and for all.”
If the municipality fails to take sufficient action, Komatipoort residents want their expert to take over management of the area’s sewage works and supply of clean drinking water.
They will also ask the court to send the municipal manager to jail for contempt of court, Vidette Roux added.
