Elim Hospital, outside Louis Trichardt, in Limpopo continues to experience chronic water shortages. Last year, there were social media reports that families of patients had to take buckets of water for their relatives daily.
The Limpopo Department of Health says the hospital is currently solely dependent on municipal water tankers as all other water sources have run dry.
Spokesperson Neil Shikwambana says the National Department of Water and Sanitation has sent officials to assess the situation and pave a way forward.
“The situation remains quite critical as the bulk supply line is completely constrained. The Limpopo Department of Health had in the past tried within its powers to alleviate the situation by drilling boreholes in and outside the hospital. However, the ground water within the facility has been depleted. On the other hand, communities have also illegally connected themselves to the boreholes rendering them completely ineffective to the hospital. In the meantime, the Vhembe District Municipality is supplying the hospital with 8-10 water tankers daily.”
