RAW, untreated sewage from the water treatment plant in Cradock has been flowing into the Fish River for almost a year.
Residents of Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality face the risk of drinking contaminated water.
The Nooitgedacht Water Treatment Works gets its water from the Fish River and then the municipality pumps the water from the plant to the municipality downstream.
Cradock resident Macho Malgas (58) told Daily Sun: “We have been worried about this hazard. There are tons of raw sewage that flow into the river every day.”
He said downstream municipalities like Nelson Mandela Bay use the water.
Port Elizabeth resident Mongezi Stuurman (51) said he no longer drank municipal tap water.
“I only use it to bath and wash. I buy drinking water from shops.”
Nelson Mandela Bay spokesman Mthubanzi Mniki said there was no need to panic as the water is safe.
“The water that goes into dams is owned by the department of water affairs. They do health tests. We take that water into our reservoirs and we also check the water. I was told by our engineers that the water is safe,” he said.
