Children rushed to clinic after drinking dirty local dam water
NTAMBANANA residents have urged King Cetshwayo District Municipality to resuscitate existing infrastructure to give them access to clean running water.
This after two small children were rushed to Ntambanana
Clinic after drinking water from the local dam near the Nseleni river on Wednesday.
The children, both six years old, reportedly complained about stomach cramps and started vomiting after drinking the dam water.
They were treated at the clinic and later discharged.
Ward 17 community member, Nomusa Shandu said they have been without water for three weeks in Emvuzane area.
“We have raised the issue with our ward committee members and Ward Councillor Sibusiso Sibiya, but the response that we always get is that water tankers are broken or the driver is on leave. Both children suffered stomach cramps and started vomiting after drinking stinking water,” she said.
Shandu said that following the incident, a water tanker was dispatched.
“Without water, there is no life, we need water to wash and cook and to keep ourselves clean. But we find ourselves subjected to fighting over water with domestic and wild animals because our government is failing us.
“Our communal taps stopped working in 2014, but our district municipality did not see any reason to fix the broken infrastructure, and now we are suffering,” she said.
Attempts to obtain comment from Councillor Sibiya were unsuccessful but King Cetshwayo District Municipality communications manager Thami Shangase said they are going to initiate an investigation into the matter.
“There is a water tanker assigned to provide water to residents of that ward. I must also mention that last month we, together with Ward Councillor Sibiya attended to the water challenges in that ward.
“More tankers were assigned to provide water to them. We urge residents to be patient with us as we are still rectifying mistakes of the past caused by the previous administration,” he said.