A Thirsty Village’s Desperate Choice: Drink from a Green River or Go Without water

In the heart of the Eastern Cape, a community’s basic right to clean water has been dry for months. For the more than 2,000 residents of Mkhonjane village, located between Komani and Cofimvaba, the simple act of turning on a tap is a forgotten luxury. Their reality is a desperate daily struggle for water, forcing them to rely on sources that are making them sick.

The crisis began in March when two water pumps supplying the village broke down. The situation became catastrophic in June when a third pump was stolen. Since then, the community has been plunged into a waterless nightmare, with their repeated pleas for help seemingly ignored by the authorities.

A Dangerous Dilemma

With no functioning infrastructure, villagers have been left with impossible choices. Some trek to the nearby Cacadu River to collect water, despite its visibly polluted state.

“We had been forced to get water from the nearby Cacadu River, but it was greenish in colour and not fit for human consumption,” said Eric Harmans, a resident of the village. The green hue points to the presence of algae and other contaminants, rendering the water unsafe.

Others have resorted to digging in dry riverbeds (dongas) in a desperate search for groundwater, a laborious and unreliable method that yields questionable water.

The Human Cost: Sickness and Suffering

The health consequences of this crisis are already devastatingly clear. Residents report that young children are developing painful skin rashes after bathing, and many villagers, both young and old, are suffering from persistent stomach ailments directly linked to drinking the contaminated water.

Each day without a solution deepens the health risks and the community’s despair. The story of Mkhonjane is a stark reminder of the human cost of infrastructure failure and neglected service delivery, where villagers are left to fight a daily battle for a resource essential to life itself.

{Source: Timeslive}

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