However the crisis escalated after a decomposing body was discovered floating in one of the reservoirs and five of the reservoirs were decommissioned for maintenance and cleaning. Knysna municipal manager Ombali Sebola on Thursday confirmed that preparatory cleaning of the reservoirs for the Khayalethu catchment area was 90% complete. “Our teams will finish cleaning the sediment and sludge from the bottoms of the reservoirs by the end of today, which means the sanitation and decontamination of the Khayalethu reservoir can begin this afternoon and continue as planned. “Barring any unforeseen circumstances, we plan to have our major reservoirs online as soon as this coming weekend. A phased approach must be followed during the deep cleaning and flushing processes. “This will be followed by thorough testing before water can be safely pumped back into the reservoir. An independent laboratory accredited by the South African National Accreditation System will conduct the testing,” said Sebola. He said every effort was being made to resolve the situation as quickly as possible to restore the service to the affected areas. Sebola added that water trucks would continue to transport water to the affected residents. The challenges in Knysna come as Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu released the Water Services Drop Programmes 2023 Reports this week. The No Drop report assesses the degree to which the drinking water distribution systems of municipalities supply water efficiently and without wasting water. It found non-revenue water (including losses, leaks, accounted for and unaccounted for water) stood at 47% in 2023, compared to 37% in 2014. This is 17% more than the international average for non-revenue water, at 30%. “In order to reduce non-revenue water, municipalities need to improve operation and maintenance of their infrastructure, repair leaks, (improve) debtor management and engage in community education and awareness, among other measures,” the report recommended. The Blue Drop report found a severe regression in drinking water quality, with tests indicating that water in almost half of all municipalities in the country was unsafe to consume in 2022. The South African Human Rights Commission said it noted the downward spiral in the state of water and sanitation services. “The commission reminds the government that access to water, which is sufficient and clean, is a human right in terms of the Constitution and legislations such as the Water Services Act 108 of 1997. Municipalities, particularly those that are water services authorities, are at the centre of the task of water and sanitation provision. “As indicated in the several reports of the commission, the Department of Water and Sanitation, as the national regulator, should continue to play a heightened monitoring and compliance role to ensure the effective performance of water services authorities in the delivery of quality water, functional wastewater management and reduction of non-revenue water.”

Source: Cape Times