By Themba Khoza
Water is life and central to the socio-economic development of society. South Africa is a water-scarce country, which calls for the wise and sparing use of the available water and the protection of water infrastructure from theft and vandalism to prevent unnecessary leakages and water losses to ensure that everyone has access to the source of life.
Water security calls for responsible communities to ensure that there is no unnecessary loss of precious water, as every drop counts.
Access to water is a basic human right, but it is violated by irresponsible people through criminal activities, which usually leave communities high and dry. These criminal acts also result in polluting water resources.
The main challenge we are experiencing as a country is infrastructure theft and vandalism.
Theft, vandalism and destruction are social and economic sabotage and has
serious negative consequences for communities and the environment.
The theft and vandalism of electricity infrastructure is also a serious threat to the provision of reliable water and sanitation services.
The destruction takes place in different forms.
The theft of infrastructure parts is another challenge that is causing serious challenges for reliable water supply and proper sanitation management.
Vandalism leads to massive losses of precious water and leaves communities without the source of life.
Illegal connections lead to leaks, wasting immense amounts of water, while tampering with valves leaves communities without water and leads to sewer spillages.
Illegal connections also result in reduced pressure in pipelines, leaving other communities, especially in high-lying areas, without water.
Let us protect and stop the vandalism of our water infrastructure to ensure a reliable water supply for everyone.
The vandalism of sanitation infrastructure on the other side contributes to sewer spillages and the pollution of water resources.
The vandalism and theft of sewer management infrastructure lead to the flow of untreated sewage into water resources, which is basically the main source of water pollution in our country.
The pollution of water resources makes water unfit for use, which basically means loss of precious water, which we cannot afford as a water-scarce country.
Water resources pollution also has negative socio-economic consequences for communities, as it also affects the environment and the ecosystem.
Sewer spillages pose a health risk, are detrimental to the environment and negatively affect food security.
We can prevent unnecessary health risks and environmental degradation by preventing infrastructure vandalism in our communities.
It is in our hands to ensure a healthy environment and food security.
Water is scarce in our country, and we can no longer sit idle and let these criminal activities of infrastructure theft and vandalism destroy our reliable water supply, our water resources, and our environment.
We need to act now and stop these criminals, as infrastructure theft and vandalism is not just a crime; it is a crime against humanity, as it negatively affects people’s rights to
clean and safe water, and a healthy environment.
The vandalism happens in our communities, and the criminals reside within them. We therefore need to report these criminals to law enforcement agencies.
Theft and vandalism stall development and take communities and the country backwards. We can no longer allow these criminals to wreak such havoc in our communities; they must pay.
Communities must take ownership of their water and sanitation infrastructure, protect it against vandalism and expose criminal elements that affect reliable water supplies and proper sewer management.
Let us also expose any municipal officials and service providers who are involved in this
sabotage.
Their crimes cannot and must not be tolerated.
• Khoza is a communicator in the Department of Water and Sanitation
