South Africa taps don dry finish on top electricity kasala

Di quiet for di road wey near South Africa capital, Pretoria as pipo don start to dey drill.

No be say dem dey find gold o but as at now dem dey find sometin wey don almost rare pass wey be water.

Private boreholes like di one dem dey dey dig here for Garfontein dey grow around di kontri richer yard dem for di heart of economy for di kontri on top say taps don dey dry.

One landlord wey water don frustrate say, "I don tire to no know wen we go get water and wen we no go get."

E add say, "to get borehole mean say we no go need depend on goment too much, na wetin beta pass for my family".

Plenti of di water supply for di area na light dem dey take pump am for wia e dey to Johannesburg and Pretoria.

South African recent electricity kasala with how dem don dey off light regularly don get effect on di supply of water.

Di oga of one of di kontri major water pipo, Rand Water, Sipho Mosai tok say, "all our stations, dem need electricity, dem need power. You gatz pump water everywia dem need am".

E add say "electricity na di koko of wetib we dey do, and if we no fit get am, at least for now, wahala go dey."

One 35 year old private wealth manager Zizi Dlanga hala say "some days I no go get light and water and dis fit last for days. E dey make daily lives to had like mad".

She dey live for two bedroom house for one reach part of north Johannesburg with her sister wey be trainee doctor. She now dey hoard water wen e come and dey enta gym to go baff.

She add say, "my water bill dey di same even with all di cuts. I dey frustrateed. I fit get water alternatives (like borehole) wey go make me fit handle di mata."

Millions of South Africans sef dey wen never get water to dey enta dia houses for years. But dis half half supply na just one of di di plenti palava wey di water industry dey face.

Sabi pesin Prof Anthony Turton tell di BBC say, "we dey state of system, di water sector dey collapse".

Di lack of electricity don make di mata worse wet poor maintenance of infrastructure don cause. Dat mata don lead to plenti leakage, sewage wahala and supply of water wey no reach to meet demand.

Seventy million litres of clean drinkable water dey lost everiday sake of leaks wey don become major wahala for di collapsing water system.

Most of di water wastage dey linked to badly run municipalities wey no dey give money for maintenance sake of im part corruption and tiff-tiff.

Dis also mean sat di sewage plants no dey clean di water how dem suppose to and e don cause public health kasala.

Few weeks na im e take for 29 pipo to die of cholera for Hammanskraal, town wey dey outside Pretoria. Di cholera outbreak bin dey linked to di yege yege water purification practices.

Lawrence Malope dey sell bottle water for roadside, na hustle wey di desperate times don create.

E say, "pipo dey buy water from me, because dem want safe water wey dem fit drink, dis na sake of sat di water wey dey comot fom taps dey doti".

At home, e dey fetch rain water and dem boil am before e use.

E say, "plenti pipo dey sick for hia because of di water wet dey comot we taps and some pipo no sabi how to clean am. We get young pikin for our yard. Our safety don dey worry me."

But di clean water wahala no be problem wey only Hammanskraal get. Recent report by department of water affairs and sanitation find out say out of di 155 treatment systems dem sample, 41% come back with bad microbial water quality compliance.

Di wahala dey all ova di kontri .For di town of Makhanda, di pipo dia for years don dey battle unsafe drinking water, with E.coli contamination wey don dey happun again and again.

For di Free State province, goment investigations find out say most of di waste water treatment plants dey "critical condition", wey risk di residents in danger of contaminated water.

Prof Turton say di combination for problems with water and electricity supplies dey create di perfect storm.

"Pipo for all ova di kontri dey become concerned and dey vex. Part na sake of sat pipo dey siddon inside darkness.

"With di interupted water supply... we don get situation wia pipo dey die from disease."

For di part of di water suppliers, oga Mosai from Rand Water agree sat more need to happun. E say dat im company dey invest in solar power instead of to dey rely on national grid.

To solve di kasala, na to drill private boreholes na di only option for pipo wey dey very rich on top say e dey cost $7,000.

E also show d ogbonge inequalities for South Africa.

Dr Ferrial Asalm from di advocacy group WaterCAN, say “wetin dis dey do na to wide di gap between those wey get and those wey no carry. E dey create social injustice”.

Questions also dey about di environmental impact of boreholes and weda di ground water det safe to drink. For some parts of d kontri, harmful metals and di dangerous bacteria dey inside di water.

But sabi pipo say some tins dey wey dem fit do to benefit everibodi and help to hold di way water supply dey spoil.

According to Dr Adam, “some quick fixes dey”.

“One na to fix di leaks, spend di money n maintenance and infrastructure, and test di water regularly so you go fit monitor wetin pipo dey drink.”

She add say national goment need to do beta to keep di municipalities head to dey correct.

But Dr Adamns feel say even all those ones no go reach.

“Plenti of dis tins dey fail. Dat failure dey put lives at risk.”