Ever wondered where your Cape Town water donations end up?
A key aspect of the water intervention is the sourcing of pure, tested, clean drinking water from various springs and delivery of this, in water tankers, to JoJo tanks.
As Capetonians teeter on the brink of Day Zero, we are all aware of the mass water collections taking place in other cities and provinces, including Boksburg.
The question, therefore, is not whether Cape Town is in dire need of water but, rather where exactly do these water donations go once they reach the Mother City.
The Advertiser asked Water 4 Cape Town and the Gift of the Givers Foundation for clarity.
Paulette van Heerden, Water 4 Cape Town chairperson, explained that the Gift of the Givers Foundation has multiple water drop-off points in Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
Emily Thomas, the national coordinator for the Gift of the Givers Foundation, said the collection of five-litre bottled water containers has commenced in earnest at more than 70 collection points throughout South Africa.
- Right time
“The water is making its way to Cape Town from these collection points and is being stockpiled at SANDF military bases in the Western Cape for distribution at the right time,” said Thomas.
“The first delivery of water went to the SANDF military base at Fort Ikapa, in Goodwood.”
Van Heerden said a key aspect of the water intervention is the sourcing of pure, tested, clean drinking water from various springs and delivery of this, in water tankers, to JoJo tanks.
“A list of institutions in urgent need of water, like homes for the elderly, orphanages and homes for the physically and mentally challenged, will be compiled and water will be delivered to them,” said van Heerden.
“With Day Zero fast approaching, it is critical to save water for when Cape Town is in a desperate state of crisis.
“A self-storage company is working with the City of Cape Town to set up national water collection points and a distribution network to aid those that are most in need should Day Zero arrive.”
- Water Distribution Plan
Van Heerden stressed that a crisis of this nature requires a whole-of-society approach.
“We will be discussing what strategies organisations such as this will employ to meet their water needs in the event of Day Zero, and how we can support these strategies in our planning and implementation of the Water Disaster Plan.
“To ensure that organisations in need have access to water will require a massive co-ordination effort from government and civil society.
“As part of the information sessions, the Mother City will be asking its partners to gather information on extremely vulnerable persons in the areas where they operate.
“Sub-councils and ward committees will then be involved in the identification of vulnerable persons in their areas and aligning these with local community-based organisations who can assist them.”
