AFRIFORUM ANNOUNCES MPUMALANGA’S BLUE AND GREEN DROP RESULTS

AfriForum tested the water of various towns in the Mpumalanga province from August to October 2020 to determine the quality of these town’s drinking water (blue drop status) and sewage water (green drop status).

This project was even more important this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and research that shows that this virus could be traced in sewage systems, meaning that one can identify focus points.

“We could determine that the drinking water in all the towns tested complies with the minimum standards and does not contain harmful bacteria. AfriForum will continuously test the water quality because residents have a constitutional right to clean drinking water,” says Hennie Bekker, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the Lowveld

Blue drop results

These results indicate that the drinking water of all the towns of Mpumalanga that were tested, is clean.

Mpumalanga
Amersfoort	Pixley Ka Seme LM	–	–	–	–	–	Clean	Clean	Clean
Badplaas	Chief Albert Luthuli LM	–	–	–	–	–	–	Clean	Clean
Balfour	Dipaleseng LM	–	–	–	–	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean
Barberton	Mbombela LM	–	–	–	–	–	Clean	Clean	Clean
Belfast	Emakhazeni LM	Clean	Clean	Clean	Faecal coliform bacteria and E. coli	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean
Bethal	Govan Mbeki LM	–	–	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean
Breyten	Msukaligwa LM	–	–	–	–	–	Clean	Clean	Clean
Carolina	Chief Albert Luthuli LM	–	–	–	–	–	–	Clean	Clean
Charl Cilliers	Govan Mbeki LM	–	–	–	–	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean
Chrissiesmeer	Msukaligwa LM	–	–	–	–	–	Clean	Clean	Clean
Delmas	Victor Khanye LM	–	–	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean
Dullstroom	Emakhazeni LM	–	–	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean
Ermelo	Msukaligwa LM	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean
Evander	Govan Mbeki LM	–	–	–	–	–	Clean	Clean	Clean
Greylingstad	Dipaleseng LM	–	–	–	–	Clean	–	Clean	Clean
Hendrina	Steve Tshwete LM	–	–	–	–	–	–	Clean	Clean
Kaapsehoop	Mbombela LM	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	Clean
Kriel	Emalahleni LM	–	–	–	–	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean
Leandra	Govan Mbeki LM	–	–	–	–	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean
Lydenburg	Thaba Chweu LM	Clean	Clean	Clean	High concentration of faecal coliform bacteria	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean
Machadodorp	Emakhazeni LM	5 cadmium	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean
Middelburg	Steve Tshwete LM	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean
Morgenzon	Lekwa LM	–	–	–	–	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean
Nelspruit	Lekwa LM	–	–	–	–	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean
Ogies	Emalahleni LM	–	–	–	–	–	Clean	–	–
Piet Retief	Mkhondo LM	–	Clean	Clean	Faecal coliform bacteria and E. coli	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean
Sabie		–	–	–	–	–	–	Clean	Clean
Secunda	Govan Mbeki LM	–	–	–	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean
Standerton	Lekwa LM	–	Colour exceeds limits, but water not unsafe	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean
Stoffberg	Emalahleni LM	–	–	–	–	–	Clean	–	–
Sundra	Victor Khanye LM	–	–	–	–	–	Clean	Clean	Clean
Trichardt	Govan Mbeki LM	–	–	–	–	–	Clean	–	Clean
Volksrust	Pixley Ka Seme LM	–	–	–	–	–	Clean	Clean	Clean
Wakkerstroom	Pixley Ka Seme LM	–	–	–	–	–	Clean	Clean	Clean
White River	Mbombela LM	–	–	–	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean
Witbank	eMalahleni LM	–	11 total organic carbon	Clean	Faecal coliform bacteria and E. coli	Clean	Clean	Clean	Clean

Green drop results

According to AfriForum’s green drop results 13 sewage treatment plants that were tested do not comply with the prescribed microbiological standards.

Mpumalanga
Place	Municipality	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
Amersfoort	Pixley ka Seme LM	–	–	–	–	–	–	Clean	–
Balfour	Dipaleseng LM	–	–	–	–	>2 500	–	Clean	–
Belfast	Emakhazeni LM	19 000	690 000	5 200	>2 400	>5 000	Clean	Clean	>1000
Bethal	Govan Mbeki LM	–	–	450 000	100 000	50 000	E. coli >1 000	>1 000	Unable to test (water does not flow through plant)
Charl Cilliers	Govan Mbeki LM	–	–	–	–	Clean	–	Clean	–
Delmas	Victor Khanye LM	–	–	Clean	1 500	High phosphate content	–	Clean	–
Dullstroom	Emakhazeni LM	–	–	2 000	Clean	–	Clean	Clean	>1000
Ermelo	Msukaligwa LM	Clean	310 000	590 000	–	1 500	–	Clean	Clean
Evander	Govan Mbeki LM	–	–	–	–	–	–	>1 000	>10 000
Greylingstad	Dipaleseng LM	–	–	–	–	Clean	–	Clean	–
Kriel	Emalahleni LM	–	–	–	–	>1 500	–	–	–
Leandra	Govan Mbeki LM	–	–	–	–	–	–	Clean	>10 000
Lydenburg	Thaba Chweu LM	1 000 000	–	73 400	>1 000	1 500	Clean	>1 000	Unable to test (water does not flow through plant)
Machadodorp	Emakhazeni LM	–	–	–	Clean	–	Clean	Phosphates >10	>1000
Middelburg	Steve Tshwete LM	–	–	–	Clean	1 500	Phosphates >25	Clean	>10 000
Morgenzon	Lekwa LM	–	–	–	–	>1 500	–	Clean	–
Nelspruit	Mbombela LM	–	–	–	–	–	–	Nitrates>25	>1000
Piet Retief	Mkhondo LM	–	–	–	>1 000	>1 000	–	Clean	Clean
Secunda (Kinross)	Govan Mbeki LM	–	–	–	2 000	Clean	Clean	>1 000	>10 000
Secunda(Trichardt)	Govan Mbeki LM	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	>1 000
Standerton	Lekwa LM	–	–	100 000	50 000	30 000	E. coli >1 000	>10 000	>10 000
Volksrust	Pixley ka Seme LM	–	–	–	–	–	–	Clean	–
Wakkerstroom	Pixley ka Seme LM	–	–	–	–	–	–	Clean	–
White River	Mbombela LM	–	–	–	Clean	Clean	–	Clean	–
Witbank	eMalahleni LM	–	–	–	4 000	High phosphate content	–	>5 000	>10 000

The civil rights organisation voiced its concern over sewage treatment plants in the municipalities that do not comply with the prescribed standards.. “We will further investigate the non-compliance and act where necessary,” says Bronwen Pretorius, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the Highveld district.

“AfriForum’s national blue and green drop project focuses on the state of drinking water and sewage treatment plants in towns. This project does not necessarily focus on the condition of the plant itself, but rather on the quality of the water that is supplied after this process as the end product in the form of drinking water and treated sewage water,” concludes Pretorius.

As the custodian of water the Department of Water and Sanitation does not fulfil its obligation to enforce legislation when municipal authorities are the guilty parties. AfriForum requests residents of the Mpumalanga province to give this organisation a mandate to continuously monitor the water quality. SMS “Clean water” to 45350 (R1) and support this action.