The crippling drought gripping the Eastern Cape continues to make life harder by the day for residents of drought-stricken towns. Butterworth is one of the hardest-hit towns and has been without water since last year.
Boreholes have been sunk, but only about half of them provide usable water. Residents of the Mchubakazi Township are fuming after the Amathole District Municipality allegedly provided them with dirty water.
The residents say they sometimes go for days without water.
“The problem is that the water is so dirty. It’s worse today. People drink it as dirty as it is. Even the taste is disgusting. When the water trucks don’t come those who afford do buy the water while those who can’t go to the rivers in Zazulwana.”
“I don’t know how we’re going to survive in the next two years if it’s happening now and it’s bad. The taste of the water is salty and we are getting sick of this water. Sometimes it skips a day for us to get water. Today we get water, tomorrow we’re not going to water. We’re going to have water again on Tuesday. Some of us can’t afford to but water. We don’t have vehicles to get water from the river. So it’s bad,” some residents say.
The Amathole District Municipality says residents must not consume water that is marked unfit for human consumption or seems unfit for use.
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