Gift of the Givers answered the call of several Makhanda schools and went to refill their empty water tanks; the area is still struggling through a severe drought.
Eastern Cape, South Africa (25 May 2022) – It can be unbelievable to see one province battling flooding and the neighbouring one battling severe drought and yet, it is the reality. While parts of KZN flood, parts of the Eastern Cape gasp for water. Gift of the Givers visited schools in Makhanda, Eastern Cape, yesterday to deliver much-needed water tanks.
Makhanda’s taps run dry on a daily basis, with municipal water being all but gone most days. The way most people access to water is by the day-to-day delivery of water from tanks. Some people start lining up the night before in the hopes of getting water. The situation is dire and has been for a few years now.
“Makhanda is currently using 18 megalitres a day of water each day – about 180 litres per person. The crippling drought has nearly emptied Settlers’ Dam – which supplies about half of that – and it is unlikely to recover until/unless we receive significant rainfall.” – Makana Municipality
The municipality has put restrictions in place and implemented rationing where each person may only use or consume 50 litres per day.
Given the nature of the spread of the pandemic, access to water is essential, which is why, over time, Gift of the Givers has been installing water tanks at various schools throughout Makhanda. They recently received requests for help and were able to go refill water tanks at three schools.
Grahamstown Primary School, George Dickerson Primary School, and St. Mary’s Day Care Centre all got delivery of freshwater for use at the schools. The daily hope is that it will rain and these tanks will refill.
“We strongly encourage those who have the resources to do so to harvest rainwater for their own private use and collect from the spring. This will alleviate the pressure on the municipal supply greatly, and will reduce queue times at the collection points. Note, though, that you may not use the Municipal supply to fill your tanks – not only is this illegal it is also unfair on all the other users of the system.” – Makana Municipality
The Gift of the Givers will continue to support the drought-stricken Eastern Cape. You can help them do so by donating here.
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