Photo by Steven DosRemedios from Borgen Magazine - Depicting informal settlement in South Africa ( https://www.borgenmagazine.com/informal-settlements-in-south-africa/#prettyPhoto/0/)
Living conditions in many informal and rural settlements have seen a serious decline in sanitation over the years. Populations in township areas have increased significantly in size and density which has caused major strain on sanitation. While rural settlements have been neglected as many of these communities are left having to travel long distances in order to reach water sources, and in some cases are still using pit latrine toilets. Many of these issues are a result of governments negligence in providing long-term and sustainable solutions to water and sanitation within these poorer communities. As a result, thousands are left vulnerable in the face of Covid-19 and can only rely on temporary help government is willing to give. While jojo tanks and chemical toilets that have been provided by government may help situations, these are only short-term fixes.
More so, these temporary solutions have proven to be insufficient and unrealistic if meant to help communities through this pandemic. Many of these water supplies are located in areas that would require people to leave their homes. This would mean that they have to break lockdown restrictions in order to get water. While other water sources often dry out, government cannot keep track of the thousand water tanks that need refilling. Chemical toilets that have been set up for communities are shared between 3 or more households per one toilet, making them very unhygienic facilities to use.
The South African Water Caucus published a letter that details the many struggles many communities across the country have been experiencing in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. The letter highlights how many communities lack basic water supplies and sanitation facilities and urges government to provide them with water tanks, reliable water supplies and sanitation packs.
To read the full letter, click the link: https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/SAWC-letter-to-Minister-Sisulu-Urgent-request-for-water-supply-to-comm....pdf
Within the Western Cape many communities have reported issues with access to water, and in some cases have struggled with this since the beginning of lockdown. A lot of water sources are shared between different communities and as a result are located in areas that require people to walk long distances to. In the case of the Shukushukuma Community in Mfuleni, more than 200 people have to use two taps between themselves, and often find that there are persistent water outages, particularly during the day. Areas in Khayelitsha have reported that water trucks arrive once a day and provide water in one location while no soap is provided. Many people have to walk to this location, and the elderly are affected the most as they are unable to walk the long distance and shouldn’t be doing so anyways, as they face a higher risk of contracting the virus. Water supplies in the area are also interrupted and they experience regular sewer bursts which pose health risks to the community. Infrastructure is another problem as a community in Silvertown and Greenpark have both reported that existing water infrastructure is ageing, and the bucket toilets within the areas are not being cleaned nor drained creating a major health hazard.
Eastern Cape had reported similar problems in water delivery. The area of Ndondo Square experiences inconsistences with water trucks as they do not come on days they should. Five other communities also reported a shortage of water and/or no access to water supplies provided by the government at all. Those that haven’t received water trucks rely on dams and rivers close to their areas and are reported to be dirty, unhygienic and unsafe.
In Limpopo an incident had even taken place within a community where police confronted and harassed women who walk to collect water from a nearby stream. This village receives no aid from the government and rely on the water collected from the nearby river. Lockdown regulations have definitely restricted movement. However, in the case of many people that live in communities that have to travel in order to get water on a daily basis, these restrictions become debilitating. An informal settlement of Iraq in Mpumalanga experienced the same issue where the community doesn’t have access to water. They reported that since lockdown had begun, many women who leave the village to collect water are being turned away by police. Now these women have to wait until it gets dark to collect water so that they won’t be seen by police.
Photo by Mpumelelo Buthelezi, spruced from Times Live - Depicting Josias Maphela, 18 and Limsoni Mbewe, 23 fetching water from local water tank. (https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2017-09-18-villages-of-the-parched-why-are-these-places-dry-when-there-is-no-drought/ )
Township areas are also hard hit by the Corona virus, as they are densely populated settlements. Social distancing practices are almost impossible as houses are built with close proximity of each other. Sanitation conditions are poor and do not accommodate for the growing population of township life. Many township residents share outside flush toilets. But in other cases, people share chemical or pit toilets between 3 or more households. Chances of contracting Covid-19 are high in such areas and Kliptown township of Soweto was not spared from this crisis. As of July 2020, Soweto became one of the epicentres of Joburg’s Covid-19 spread, and Kliptown was one of the areas affected. This is according to the SA National Department of health. Shacks are built right next to each other, while thousands of people are forced to share a few unhygienic communal toilets and two taps in the area. Water tanks have reportedly been empty, and people go weeks without receiving water from the Jojo tanks that were provided by government. If one needs water, they have no choice but to buy from local vendors.
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