KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC, Nomagugu Simelane said the water woes in the province were starting to make it difficult for medical facilities to function properly.
Ms Simelane said the department was considering a few solutions – one of them being to sink boreholes at health facilities so that these facilities can continue to function when there are water cuts.
Ms Simelane said they sunk a borehole at the Church of Scotland Hospital, in the uMsinga sub-district, between Greytown and Dundee and that it had helped alleviate the water problem.
“Unfortunately, the boreholes we built at the Church of Scotland Hospital were not deep enough,” said Ms Simelane. “The water is not flowing anymore and now we must look at alternatives. We are considering sourcing water from the Uthukela River to the hospital. If we are successful at doing this, we will never have a water problem at that hospital again.”
Water scarce cities like Umzinyathi, had boreholes sunk and now their clinics and hospitals can function properly. Ms Simelane said in districts like Umgungundlovu, while they don’t have a serious water problem, the clinics are impacted when there is no water in the area.
“We are looking into where the borehole interventions can take place,” she said. “We will have to work together with municipalities and weigh our options. Boreholes are a reliable water source, if done properly. We will have to consider digging boreholes to source water, so our hospitals and clinics can run uninterrupted.”
Boreholes can be drilled in as little as three days, depending on the type of rock that must be drilled through and a properly constructed and well-maintained water well can last for generations.
