Pretoria - There is still no certain conclusion on the source of the cholera outbreak that rocked Hammanskraal in May.
This is according to the Water Research Commission, which gave details of their independent analysis of the cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal during a National Press Club media briefing in Pretoria yesterday.
The investigation’s focus was on the spread of the disease in Tshwane, zooming in on the role of water, sanitation and hygiene in the crisis.
The area was hit by a cholera crisis in May that claimed the lives of more than 30 people, with scores showing symptoms of the water-borne disease being admitted to hospitals in Pretoria.
There were also minimal infections in other areas of the country, with Hammanskraal having the bulk of the infections and deaths, prompting the Department of Water and Sanitation to commission the Water Research Commission to investigate the matter.
Addressing the media, Water Research Commission CEO Dr Jennifer Molwantwa and research manager Dr Eunice Ubomba-Jaswa said it remained unknown whether water was the source of the outbreak.
However, she said that at the time of the outbreak, cholera had been circulating in the environment and that the conditions from a water, sanitation and hygiene perspective would enable its quick spread.
The duo pointed out operational inefficiencies of the Rooiwal wastewater and Temba water treatment plants in treating the wastewater and water, respectively, to “acceptable standards”.
They also said illegal dumping and poor solid waste management, the high level of faecal contamination in rivers, inadequate sanitation and hygiene infrastructure particularly in the informal and rural settlements, and the general lack of awareness posed risks and served as pathways for potential oral, faecal-oral (person to person) pathways for future water-borne disease outbreaks.
Molwantwa said: “A team of experts embarked on this project. As we all know, the recent outbreak in Hammanskraal was triggered by a traveller from Limpopo. The department commissioned us to find out what the source of the cholera was. “The disease is a diarrhoeal disease caused by ingesting water or food contaminated with faecal matter containing the bacteria Vibrio cholerae,” she said.
She confirmed that they found its presence in the Leeukraal Dam and Pienaars River, which showed to be carriers of V. cholerae bacteria. She said pollution also played a role.
“Some sites had nappies – a high possibility for faecal contamination. Numerous illegal dumping sites and sewer overflows, while some samples also tested positive for Salmonella and Shigella, which can cause gastrointestinal illnesses, and high levels of E coli were found in samples analysed at any of the respective monitoring points.”
She said V. cholerae was detected only once in the first grab sampling, downstream of Hammanskraal, but not upstream of the Rooiwal Waste Water Treatment Plant down to the Leeukraal Dam.
“Downstream of Rooiwal, the presence of Salmonella and Shigella and extremely high concentrations of E coli detected in the Apies River exceeded the South African water quality guidelines target range for direct contact recreational/cultural/religious use of the water – which presents health risks to communities engaged in any contact with this water,” she said.
The team of experts recommended that a proper collection system be implemented to avoid illegal dumping of municipal solid waste.
“To prevent overflow into the surrounding environment, bearing in mind heavy rainfall patterns, sewage infrastructure must be maintained and sanitation and hygiene facilities and infrastructure should be available and safely maintained and managed.
“Effective source of water protection measures are necessary to improve the quality of raw water abstracted for drinking water plants,” she said.
She added that the Temba Drinking Water Treatment Plant should be refurbished and recommissioned urgently, to achieve at least sanitation of wastewater and to be upgraded, ultimately, to achieve best environmental practice, including reclamation of final effluent to drinking water.
Pretoria News