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Flooded road
The South African Medical Research Council has raised concerns over the serious health risks linked to recent flooding in parts of Mpumalanga and Limpopo, with vulnerable communities facing both immediate and long term public health threats.
Experts say standing water and damaged sanitation systems could lead to waterborne diseases, while access to healthcare remains limited in affected areas.
South Africa has declared a national disaster after severe weather conditions led to deadly floods across parts of the country.
The Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Mahlobo says his department is working with relevant stakeholders to ensure water safety in affected communities.
“All our department officials working with municipality and our water board and laboratories in SA we have heightened hightened the issue of water quality testing because its most important aspect but more importantly all our water treatment works as part of standard operation procedures when they do chemical dossing especially at the entrance where there’s an inflow of water they need to increase it they will also manage the issues of the chlorination in their system its an important precaution but more importantly we must be in a position to communicate those water test results to communities.”
The cost of repairing the damage is reported to be running into billions of rands.
SAMRC warns of health crisis after deadly floods:
WATCH | Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Velenkosini Hlabisa says the floods have caused extensive damage, adding that a path forward for declaring a state of disaster in affected provinces is likely to be determined by tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/3utiFgvZz8
— SABC News (@SABCNews) January 15, 2026
