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Crisis at Kgapane Hospital thanks to water shortage

Water crisis in Limpopo has become so severe that even patients of Kgapane Hospital do not get medical assistance

THE impact of the water crisis in Limpopo has become so severe that even patients of Kgapane Hospital do not get medical assistance due to this problem.

Kgapane Hospital in the Mopani district currently has no access to water and patients are being turned away.

According to DA Limpopo leader, Jacques Smalle, this situation calls for the urgent intervention of the South African Human Rights Commission to compel the State to conduct an assessment of the water situation to ensure that the impact of the water crisis is kept to the minimum in places of emergency such as hospitals.

Smalle said the reservoir at Kgapane had a six megalitre capacity and Modjadji had 4,7 megalitres in its reservoir. The Florida water plant that supplied both areas had the capacity of only 4,5 megalitres, which was a 100% shortfall, since the demand from both Kgapane and Modjadji required at least 10,7 megalitres to supply all villages within the Greater Letaba municipality.

“Taking into account the economic impact at Modjadji and Kgapane, the capacity of the Florida reservoir needs to be increased to at least 15 mega litres to avoid water shortages in the future. The shortage has badly affected Kgapane Hospital and critically-ill patients have to be transported to other hospitals which are far away,” he said.

He said nurses and doctors were forced to bring their own water to drink and to wash their hands.

Patients had to rely on their families to bring them water to bath and drink because the boreholes at the hospital were not working.

“It’s clear that government has failed to plan ahead by putting a proper water management system in place to supply all villages with water, including the hospital. The Greater Letaba Municipality must deliver water to the hospital and villages on a daily basis as an interim relief,” he said.

“A hospital is a place where people go to get help. It is unacceptable that they do not get medical help, because a basic amenity such as water is not available,” Smalle said.

Spokesperson for the Greater Letaba Municipality, Lovers Maenetje said they had attended to the water problem since last week.

She said the problem was a broken valve on the hospital premises. According to Maenetje, there was water in the pipes, but it could not reach the hospital’s reservoir.

“The water problem is a challenge in the Mopani district and people are getting water according to a schedule. The hospital will get water very soon,” Maenetje said.

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