WHILE the majority of Graaff-Reinet residents are battling municipal water shortages, Gift of the Givers (GOTG) has been able to provide some relief.
Since October 1, eight boreholes have been sunk at seven schools in high-lying areas of town.
Last Thursday, water from these boreholes was officially declared safe for human consumption.
“We had samples from the boreholes tested by a SANAS-accredited lab at the University of the Free State, and we are very pleased to announce that these boreholes can now bring much needed relief to these communities,” said Ali Sablay, project manager of GOTG.
The water from the boreholes is natural Karoo water with a slightly brackish taste, and the fluoride content is slightly higher than SANS241 limits.
Based on the fact that the water will be consumed for a limited time period, and in the absence of an alternative, the water has been declared fit for consumption.
This week, GOTG plans to install JoJo tanks at every school, regardless of whether they have a borehole or not. “These tanks will be able to store at least 20 000 litres of drinking water at every school, and will be topped up daily for as long as the drought continues,” said GOTG geohydrologist, Dr Gideon Groenewald.
Groenewald has stressed that the water provided through GOTG is there for all who need it. Based on a solid agreement with the Department of Education, GOTG has been able to provide suffering schools with boreholes, but drilling has been limited to fall within school terrain borders. “Although we were only mandated to drill within school terrains, any living being that needs water may have some, provided that distribution happens in an orderly fashion and under the direct supervision of school principals,” Groenewald said.
Meanwhile, many misconceptions about GOTG’s intervention during the water crisis has come to light, and Groenewald said it’s time to put these to bed.
“At no time has GOTG been appointed to improve or tamper with the municipal water infrastructure. As emergency responders, our mandate is to find and store a minimum of 10 litres of drinking water per child per day.
“This will ensure that everybody has access to drinking water while the drought continues to worsen,” Groenewald explained.
The eight boreholes have now all been equipped with Franklin pumps, but in the coming week, an additional 52 tanks with a capacity of 2 500 litres each will be connected. “These tanks were made available by the JoJo company, and we are deeply appreciative of their involvement in our efforts to bring drought relief,” said Groenewald told.
He added that the organisation would attempt to have tankers certified in order to distribute water to strategic points that will be managed by Corene Conradie, in order to make water more accessible until the normal infrastructure is fully operational again.
