HAPPY RESIDENT writes:
I have been using the e-Siyakhokha electronic municipal account view and payment services with huge satisfaction. I do not have to wait for the post office strikes to end, get the account early and can pay electronically.
I installed a solar hot water system and can easily analyse my account to determine savings (average R550 a month).
That was until December 2014, no new bill on the system. I complained in December, then three times in January, called the web site people, they are working on the problem.
Am I the only one or are other users also experiencing the same problem?
It is really a great service, hope they fix it. Got my bill through the post on January 10. The payment due date was December 24.
The newsletter (EKU-TALKS) that comes with the postal bill is also impressive. We have the cleanest drinking water in the country! Only worry is that we fail on microbial contamination. The table shows percentage times we made the microbial test, problem is there are times when we failed the microbial contamination test.
I went to the DWAF site and looked at the data. Please tell us at the times where we failed the microbial contamination test. What was the Total CFU count, as well as E-coli count as tested according to SANS 241 Table 1 microbial contamination.
I also looked at the Green Drop reports of the Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW sewerage plants) all dumping their effluent (treated) water into the rivers all ending up in Hartbeespoort Dam.
Not one of the WWTW plants’ effluent water complies with the microbial contamination standards as specified. That is also why the sewerage sludge that is used for fertiliser creates such a stink. The smell is indicative of the microbial contamination.
The coliform test is only an indicative test. It is not practical or cost effective to test for all the microbes (bacteria, viruses and protozoa) but the E-coli originates in the intestines of humans and animals and they are the microbial contaminants that can/may be harmful when drinking the water.
So as in the spirit of transparency, give us the contaminant levels measured, as given for the chemical contaminants.
I use a product produced by Azranite called MML-3, only two drops needs to be added to contaminated water to totally disinfect the municipal water. I comes in 30ml bottles, which means you can disinfect 300l of municipal water. CostL R60.
I had my bore-hole tested according to SANS 241 and it had no microbial contamination, also the chemical contaminants were all fine. No sign of Acid Mine Drainage.
If we can fix the potholes and cut the grass in the parks (now taxi hubs), Ekurhuleni would be the best metro to stay in SA.
