SAHRC warns of sewage crisis affecting North West residents’ health – SABC News – Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa’s news leader.

Sewage spillages remain a major challenge in some North West communities. The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) says the problem is widespread, negatively affecting residents’ health and quality of life. This is also violating their constitutional right to an environment that is not harmful to their health and wellbeing.

Affected communities say the stench is the most unbearable and affects respiratory health.

Experts say airborne contaminants and aerosols associated with waste-water have the potential to affect breathing. However, there are limited studies focused on conditions that develop from long-term exposure to raw sewage in residential communities.

65-year-old resident of Motlhabeng Village in Mahikeng Kgomotso Makabanyane says raw sewage and the persistent stench that once invaded her home had serious health consequences on her. She says she developed breathing problems and was later diagnosed with a respiratory condition.

“My lungs were affected after living with the sewage for three months. I was diagnosed with asthma and it was caused by the sewage because the smell was so bad we could not even eat in the house, and the chemicals poured into the waste-water also affected us.”

Thato Wa Magogodi, a community leader in Seweding, Mahikeng, says health interventions are needed after the exposure to raw sewage.

“This sewage spillage has exposed our communities in ward 11 and ward 20, here in Mahikeng, to very dangerous biohazards that have got very deadly pathogens.”

“One of the potential ways that they can be exposed is through the aerosolization or airborne dispersion of the biological contaminants that are contained in waste-water. So this typically occurs when waste-water becomes agitated or aerated as part of various treatment processes and then what happens is that that liquid ends up being dispersed into the air and those liquid droplets have the potential of carrying pathogenic micro-organisms or other biological toxins, and then those can be suspended in the air and potentially travel across air or through air and be inhaled by nearby communities.”

The South African Human Rights Commission provincial manager Shirley Mlombo says sewage spillages are rampant in the North West and are systemic and recurring in nature.

“The commission conducted an investigation into service delivery challenges in the North West, and some of the challenges that came through is the challenge of sewer spillages and in order to address these challenges, the commission made recommendations to the responsible municipalities, and we are still monitoring compliance with those recommendations.”