Phikwe skates on pit waste

CALISTUS KOLANTSHO
Correspondent | Friday April 16, 2010 00:00

Botshabelo East resident, Chalido Madome, says it will be difficult to get rid of pit latrines because a majority of the residents are unemployed and they do not have money to connect to the sewerage reticulation system.

'At the moment people are failing to pay their SHHA loans or even service levies. They have been threatened by the council to repossess their plots or reporting them to the deputy sheriffs. Residents will not be able to pay for the connection. The project will only impoverish them and put them in trouble with the local authority,' he said.

Madome pleaded with the council to come up with a better project than SHHA so that people will be encouraged to connect.He threatened that should the council lock the pit latrines the people will be compelled to turn to the bush, which can only result in further pollution.

Former Selebi-Phikwe Mayor, Benjamin Bagayi, says, 'Just like when public taps were phased out, pit latrines can also go'. He said that phasing out public taps was difficult when compared to toilets because water is a necessity that a human being cannot survive without, but the council went ahead and did it.

'Residents were educated on the importance of connecting taps in their homestead. They are now enjoying having taps in their homes. It is equally the same, they will see the benefits of having the water borne system of toilets,' he said.

Bagayi wants the council to encourage the residents to connect to the sewerage line. He mentioned that it is easy to convert the existing pit latrines into water systems. 'Converting toilets into the water system should be encouraged in Botshabelo because many different families there share yards. In most cases they use only one toilet,' he said.

He also suggested that the levy for emptying pit latrines must be increased to force people to shift to the water system. He suggested that the money for connecting to the sewerage line should be included in SHHA loans because toilets are part of the housing structure.

Bagayi said residents who are unemployed are covered under the poverty alleviation scheme and there is nothing to stop them from connecting. He also pointed out that some residents are not connecting because the council is not stepping up efforts in advocating the importance of phasing out pit latrines.

Another Botshabelo resident, Gabanaope Seokolo, said pit latrines pose a health hazard, especially during the rainy season and the council must destroy them and build them water borne toilets. She mentioned that they cannot access SHHA loans because they are unemployed.

Selebi-Phikwe Town Council public relations officer, Ogomoditse Gaokgethelwe, expressed concern about residents who connect illegally to the sewerage reticulation pipeline. She explained that the project that cost the council P64 million has not been commissioned.

The project also covered the lining of ponds and five pump stations. 'We have realised that people have illegally connected to the line because we have seen that our pump stations have been receiving waste,' she remarked.

Gaokgethelwe warned that action will be taken against people who are connected illegally. The council spokesperson said the project started in October 2008 and it was expected to be completed by March 2010.

Gaokgethelwe mentioned that the project is partially complete and it has not been handed over to the council. She said after inspecting it, the council found a five kilometre stretch of pipe work that was not laid. She pointed out that some areas need to be rehabilitated to avoid spillage.

'We want Selebi-Phikwe to be fully reticulated and we expect the contractor to hand over the project by end of this month,' she said.

Gaokgethelwe called upon residents of the town to connect to the line and the connection fee is P60.