Tulbagh river pollution_not enough toilets

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=30 BGCOLOR="#0066CC" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" width="100%" style=" border-left: 1px solid #3366CC;" BGCOLOR="#000066" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <B>Tulbagh Info Information</B></div> <div> Tulbagh river pollution_not enough toilets</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="120" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#0099CC HEIGHT= 15 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="local_news.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tulbagh News Page 2"><U>Back to Local News</U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <B>Previous correspondence - if any - follows after in sequence below.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Email letter sent to Witzenberg about the severe pollution of the river coursing through the Chris Hani Informal settlement of Tulbagh and the lack of basic services such as adaquate toilet facilities for the residents of the informal settlement of Chris Hani</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Frm : </B>John at Rocky Valley </div> <div> <B>Date : </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Tahoma" >23 March 2010 12:43 PM</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>To: </B>David Nasson</div> <div> <B>Subject : </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Tahoma" >Lack of Toilets Chris Hani and chronic river pollution</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Dear David,<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> I understand that Council is planning to alleviate the plight of the people of Chris Hani by improving their sanitary needs in the form of employing someone to clean the temporary toilets and to supply an extra <B>10 toilets</B>?<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> If it takes <B>four</B> years to get the Municipality to employ someone to clean the toilets, then I suppose we must all be thankful for the little we get from this municipality but rather late than never? However, Ten toilets is simply not enough - even as an interim measure.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> All it means is that instead of there being about 60 persons per toilet, it will now be about 48 persons per toilet - still totally unsatisfactory.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> The pollution of the river at the moment is chronic and this poses a severe health risk not only to that community but to all the residents of this town, especially should a disease like cholera or typhoid break out??<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> The attached photos taken on 23 March 2010 (today) speak for themselves?<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> What is of real concern to me is that this situation has existed for years and the Municipality has failed to stem the influx of homeless people (this past year I have witnessed people adding on to their existing shacks as well as adding new ones - obviously no photos or measurements of the existing shacks were taken for the record despite my suggestions to do that?) and Witzenberg Municipality has allowed the situation to worsen by doing almost nothing (either about the influx or the provision of toilets) and the problem is exacerbated year upon year. </div> <bR> <div> In March 2006, I wrote an email drawing Council's attention to the matter of the river pollution and there was subsequent correspondence in Jan 2009 as well as the state of the temporary toilets which were in a shocking unhygienic state. Nothing has been done since then and it is now 2010!!!<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> The attached photos taken March 2006 and January 2009 speak for themselves?<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> I trust that this situation will remind those councilors who intend gallivanting off to Belgium and those Councillors and officials who like to spend money of functions etc., that while they are playing 'big shot' with Ratepayers money, our community is suffering due to the lack of temporary toilets and basic services.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> All this polluted water will end up in the Voelvlei dam - for the ultimate use of the water users or Cape Town and other West Coast towns - after purification, due to the levels of pollution - at additional expense to the water users as a result of our Municipality allowing the river to be polluted in the first place?<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Your urgent attention to this matter will be appreciated.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> The matter will be tabled for discussion at the forthcoming committee meetings of TRIF and the DA Tulbagh.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Kind regards,<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> John Veschini<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>Photos taken 23 March, 2010 shows human excrement in the river</B></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="e50e1a90.jpg" border=0 width="225" height="169" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="e52e1a90.jpg" border=0 width="225" height="169" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <B>Photos taken 23 January 2009 shows river pollution and the state of the temporary toilets then.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="e54e1a90.jpg" border=0 width="225" height="169" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="e56e1a90.jpg" border=0 width="225" height="169" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="e58e1a90.jpg" border=0 width="225" height="169" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="e5ae1a90.jpg" border=0 width="225" height="169" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="e5ce1a90.jpg" border=0 width="225" height="169" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="e5ee1a90.jpg" border=0 width="225" height="169" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Photos taken 8 March, 2006 shows the pollution was evident even then (note the green grass).</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="e60d61d0.jpg" border=0 width="214" height="285" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="e62e1a90.jpg" border=0 width="225" height="169" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> <IMG SRC="e64e1a90.jpg" border=0 width="225" height="169" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" width=28 style=" border-top: 1px solid #0066CC; border-left: 1px solid #0066CC;border-right: 1px solid #0066CC; border-bottom: 1px solid #0066CC;" BGCOLOR="#0066CC" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>