Cape Town - Water has been the focus of Mandela Day efforts in the drought stricken Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) as Gift of the Givers officially opened its 13th drilled borehole at Walmer High School in Gqeberha.
President Cyril Ramaphosa joined by Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu, Premier Oscar Mabuyane and Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Eugene Johnson also spent Mandela Day in Gqeberha, leading a site inspection of the Nooitgedacht Water Treatment Works and thereafter a cleanup of the Swartkops River at Veeplaas which is used to transfer water from the Gariep Dam into the water-strained Metro.
Dams currently stand at 14.8% collectively, of which only 2.37% is usable water. Water usage is currently 31 million litres above the target of 230 million litres per day.
“The collaboration between the NMB municipality, business chamber and its members and Gift of the Givers in dealing with the Day Zero challenge is memorable,” said Gift of the Givers CEO, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman.
“Gift of the Givers is currently drilling its 13th borehole in the Metro, has expanded three drilled previously, resuscitated one at the K9 unit and three owned by the municipality, potentially adding 4 million litres a day to the grid.
“Cerebos contributes an additional 500 000L fresh drinking water per day through its desalination plant, generously transported by 3 x 35 000L water tankers sponsored by Coke to Gift of the Givers,” said Sooliman.
The Givers were working closely with the municipality’s engineering team, led by Barry Martin, and would provide JoJo tanks to the 50 water collection points being set up by the municipality, he said.
Drilling additional boreholes, resuscitating dormant municipal boreholes, harnessing water from spring sites, providing many more water tanks – 500 have been sponsored by Africa Tanks (– bringing in two more water tankers and "opening" viable boreholes pointed out by the community is part of Gift of the Givers’ ongoing intervention.
“Providing boreholes at various schools serves learners, educators, their families and surrounding communities, many of whom have large numbers of informal settlements, the inhabitants of which are in dire economic circumstances and require compassionate assistance,” said Sooliman.
“The water capacity and reserves at Livingstone Hospital, the largest hospital in the Metro, Gqeberha Provincial Hospital, Elizabeth Donkin Psychiatric Hospital and Jose Pearson TB Hospital have all been substantially advanced,” he added.
Mchunu said boreholes were one of the pillars of the interventions.
“Even with the completion of boreholes, it does not mean that people must relax, it's merely a security measure. The more boreholes we drill the more restrictions will apply. We want more water to be available than we are consuming,” he said.
Cape Times