Picture: The discolorated water coming out of taps/Generic
By OBAKENG MAJE
In fear of a cholera outbreak, some patients at the Taung District Hospital said they are concerned about the water that comes out of the taps. According to one of the patients who does not want to be named for fear of reprisal, the water that comes out of taps at the hospital is yellowish.
“Truly, we fear for our lives because cholera is an extremely virulent disease. The number of fatalities in Hammanskraal can attest to that. So, we urge the hospital not to take this matter lightly as cholera is an extremely virulent disease,” she said.
Meanwhile, the North West Department of Health spokesperson, Tebogo Lekgethwane said: “On 19 May 2023, there was an observation that the colour of the water was not clear and showing a discoloration. It is true that the hospital has reverted to buying purified water.
“On Friday, the hospital started to issue water to the patients immediately and planned for the temporarily shut down of the outside water to check where the challenge can be. The environmental specialists are doing the tests on the water and in the meantime, the borehole water will be used, but also will be tested.”
Lekgethwane further said the cause of discoloration is unknown and the only people who could respond to that are, the water supplier and the municipality. He added that, there is no case of cholera being reported at the hospital.
The Guardian 