BEAUFORT WEST – Karoo National Park has stepped in to assist Beaufort West communities affected by the severe storm that struck the town on 3 September, trucking in thousands of litres of water following an outage that has disrupted the Central Karoo town’s water supply.

According to JP Louw, South African National Parks (SANParks) spokesperson, Karoo National Park has availed two trucks, each carrying a 5,000-litre water tank, to support residents.

“Flash floods damaged the main pipeline, which affected the water supply to the entire Central Karoo town,” said Louw.

The Beaufort West Municipality said it is unclear how long it will take to restore the water supply.

Louw said the 600mm pipeline, the main supply to the town, is still submerged underwater, and teams cannot access the pipe, resulting in delays in completing the assessment.

“A Joint Operations Centre with different role players has already been established to handle the emergency,” said Louw.

He further said the park is taking guidance from the municipality’s Infrastructure Department on where the most urgent needs are.

On 7 September, they were in Rustdene, providing much-needed humanitarian assistance to communities facing the brunt of the disaster.

Louw said park management has also mobilised the SANParks Honorary Rangers, its volunteer organisation, to source bottled water for additional distribution to communities.

He said that, to date, a consignment of 100 five-litre bottles has been secured and will be collected and distributed on 8 September.

“The situation will be monitored daily and assistance provided where needed,” said Louw.

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