2 211 water tanks delivered by DWS
DWS reaches 2 211 water tanks delivery in Gauteng to break the spread of Covid-19
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has notched up the roll-out of water tanks to needy communities to 2 211 and going all out to improve their plight as the number of Covid-19 infections increases daily.
As part of the frontline departments that seek to ease the impact of the virus, DWS is geared to continue efforts to a more effective contribution to mount the fight against the spread of the virus.
President Cyril Ramaphosa urged government departments to implement extraordinary measures to ensure, among other interventions, impoverished communities have access to clean water supply to enable them to wash hands to ward off the spread of the virus.
To this end, the department has provided water tanks across Gauteng, benefiting communities in densely populated areas, which include the cities of Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni, and the district municipalities of Sedibeng and West Rand.
DWS’s Gauteng provincial head, Sibusiso Mthembu, said the department was progressively making an impact to water challenges in overcrowded environments as communities are now receiving water to practise hygiene to wash hands to prevent the spread of the virus.
Mthembu said the efforts of the department was now reaching every corner of Gauteng where water is needed, adding that the communities are seeing the concrete intervention the department was making to break the strength of the invisible enemy.
“Communities are appreciative of the government‘s response to the outbreak and that intensive measures are being put in place in favour of those who would have otherwise been affected significantly by the virus,” explained Mthembu.
He added that the department was expediting its efforts, working with other stakeholders to ensure that the communities’ lives were brought to normalcy as far as it was possible.
Mthembu thanked communities for looking after the water tanks where this infrastructure has been installed, saying it was vital to ensure it did not fall prey to wanton acts of vandalism.
“We appeal to communities to carry on looking after these water tanks so that they can practise proper hygiene. Washing hands with water and soap is one of the sure ways to beat the spread of the virus. The water tanks must continue to serve the needs of the communities long after the virus is gone,” said Mthembu.
