Ekhabonina water causes folk’s
The opinion of the experts from the Department of Water Affairs (DWA) concluded that the water was unclean and unfit for human consumption.
MANKAYANE – Mankayane residents can simply tell by looking at one’s rotten teeth and know that the person hails from Ekhabonina Chiefdom.
This unusual and demeaning stance is a reality lived by the people of Ekhabonina. A study conducted on the water they consume concluded that it is not of their own making.
This was after a water quality inspection report was produced by the Ministry of Natural Resource and Energy.
It detailed evidence that out of the water the people Ekhabonina consume, many people are likely to have tooth cavities or rotten teeth.
If the people continue to consume the hot spring water (manzana), it will lead to serious health repercussions.
Ekhabonina Chiefdom is one of five chiefdoms under Phondo Inkhundla.
The other four chiefdoms are Bhadzeni, Lushikishini, Emahhashini and Mgazini. The inkhundla is located in Mankayane and it proves to have a serious issue of lack of access to water.
The Phondo Member of Parliament (MP) is Bonginkosi Dube.
While efforts by the people of
If the people continue to consume the hot spring water, it will lead to serious health repercussions.
the
Ekhabonina have been made to develop a borehole out of the hot springs, these have been watered down.
OpiniOn
The opinion of the experts from the Department of Water Affairs (DWA) concluded that the water was unclean and unfit for human consumption.
“Ekhabonina Manzana borehole does not comply with water quality standards in fluorides. This may cause health implications like dental fluorosis and other skeletal system disorders to the public,” part of the report reads.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) in its oral health country profile has found that in Eswatini, there are three factors that could lead to tooth cavities.
WHO said fluoride is a naturally occurring mineral used in many dental products to strengthen tooth enamel and prevent cavities.
It was sugar in children .The second factor is that tobacco smokers from the ages of 15 and above have a prevalence rate of 9.3 per cent of developing tooth cavities from this habit. Lastly, the per capita alcohol consumption of people from 15 years and above who drink pure litres of alcohol per year is 8.8.
FactOrs
What is raising eyebrows is that water, the substance of life itself, was never anticipated as one of tooth cavity factors.
WHO also recommended the enactment of at least four policies and measures for the national health system response to cavities.
These are: The implementation of tax on sugar-sweetened
beverages; the national oral health policy or strategy or action plan; hiring of staff for oral health working on Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) at the Ministry of Heath, and; and recognising cavities as a national public health problem.
The DWA report which recommends stopping consumption of the water at Ekhabonina was done in February this year.
At least two places being Ekhabonina Manzana and Madwahane were of focus.
So far there is no telling what results the other sources of water could produce, leaving the people of Ekhabonina with a serious water scarcity problem.
When diving into the results of the report, the physical features of the water in terms of its status, temperature, colour and pH were found meeting the acceptable raw water quality standards.
However the turbidity – the measure of relative clarity of a liquid – was found to be almost three-fold the normalcy.
While the maximum scale is five Nephelometric units, the water at Madwahane was found to be 18 Nephelometric units, zero at Manzana.
Furthermore, at least one chemical and three bacteria were found in both sources of water. Fluorine (F) which was found at Manzana was the chemical found to double its allowability in water.
It was recorded to be 2.88 mg/l, against a maximum of 1.0 mg/l.
Fluorine is the lightest halogen chemical element. It is said to exist at standard conditions as a highly toxic, pale yellow diatomic gas and is extremely reactive to all other elements except for the light gases.
Iron (Fe) was also found at Madwahane at 1.24 mg/l against the maximum of 1.0 mg/l.
Total coliform (TC) – a generally not harmful bacteria common in the environment, soil and the intestines of animals – was found to be 153 per 100 ml at Manzana while it should record 0 per 100 ml in its maximum.
It was 10 per 100ml at Madwahane. Faecal coliforms (FC) were 10 per 100 ml against 0 per 100 ml at Madwahane while Escherichia eoli (E. coli) was 46 per 100ml at Manzana.
DISCOVERED
“Total coliforms and faecal coliforms indicate a form of faecal contamination in the borehole,” the report said, adding that, Escherichia coli were discovered in the water, which is a pathogenic organism (diseases causing organism).
The report said E. coli, is a member of a group of organisms known as coliforms, common bacteria found in the digestive system of humans and animals.
“The presence of Escherichia coli indicates possible presence of other more harmful microbes, such as Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Shigella and norovirus,” the report said.
It recommended for retesting the borehole three times in order to draw conclusion.