Madam,

I wonder how efficient our waste water treatment plants are in ensuring that we have adequate and affordable potable water.

Though we have waste water treatment plants in areas such as Ezulwini and Nhlambeni, I heard that the clean water they produce is taken back to the rivers and streams. This means we are purifying water in order to dirty it again. Why is that so because these plants were set up at a huge cost?

Maintaining them is also very costly, yet we throw the water away.

Many other first world countries consume purified water from the waste water treatment place. They have everything to make the water clean and ready for consumption.

Sewage treatment is a type of wastewater treatment which aims to remove contaminants from sewage to produce an effluent that is suitable to discharge to the surrounding environment or an intended reuse application, thereby preventing water pollution from raw sewage discharges. This means if we cannot use the water for consumption we can always use it to water gardens and crops.

Most of our treated wastewater is returned to the rivers, where it is again collected and treated for consumption. It is like washing clothes that have been washed.

I believe water from the waste water plants can be used for irrigation of sports grounds, golf courses and other open public spaces, irrigation of non-food crops like trees, woodlots, turf and flowers. It can also be used to replenish our groundwater supplies by pumping treated wastewater back underground.

The sludge from the waste water treatment plants should also be used to make fertiliser, which has become very expensive. 

It can also be taken to landfills for disposal or further processed to recover its value as a nutrient-rich soil amendment.

We are sitting with a very important resource on our laps.

Many other first world countries consume purified water from the wastewater treatment place. They have everything to make the water clean and ready for consumption. (Pic: Sourced)