Communities living alongside the flooded rivers and streams in Taung in the North West have been warned not to drink the water because of contamination. Environmental officers within the disaster management team have conducted tests on water samples taken from streams and rivers at Valtein and Damasiko villages.

About 3 000 people reside in these settlements. Charl Du Plesis, spokesperson for the disaster management team, says some bottles of bleach are being distributed to affected villages so that people could add it into their drinking water. He says clean water is being supplied in tankers.

Cases of diarrhoea confirmed
Fifteen cases of diarrhoea have been confirmed so far due to the Ecoli bacteria which has been found in some drinking water. Access into the affected areas is still difficult, although government is reported to be addressing the matter.

Gravel roads and bridges have been washed away by heavy rains that have fallen in most parts of the region since January. This has left a large scale of destruction estimated to millions of rands.