Waste-Treatment Mess Spawns Cholera in South Africa Capital
- Disease causes diarrhea and spreads in unsanitary conditions
- Hundreds have died of cholera in Malawi, Mozambique this year
A woman explains to villagers how to purify water with chlorine, to prevent cholera outbreaks.
Source: -/AFP/Getty Images
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Dysfunctional waste-water treatment around the South African capital of Pretoria contributed to a deadly cholera outbreak that’s left at least 15 people dead, according to David Mahlobo, the deputy minister for human settlements, water and sanitation.
While a center is coordinating efforts to tackle the problem, poor management of water has been a problem for years in Tshwane, the municipality that encompasses the city, Mahlobo told reporters on Monday. In many instances, the national water department’s engagement with the municipality “has not been very productive,” Mahlobo said.