Water and Sanitation Minister, Senzo Mchunu, has commended private companies for their donations to help push back Day Zero in Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality.
Mchunu visited Nelson Mandela Bay on Monday, where he inspected boreholes donated by Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa and the Gift of the Givers, in a bid to ensure water supply to communities amidst water supply challenges in the municipality.
Accompanied by Eastern Cape Premier, Oscar Mabuyane and Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Mayor, Eugene Johnson, Mchunu inspected a borehole at Walmer township in Q Section, which was donated by Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa.
Nine more boreholes are expected to be drilled in Gqeberha, which would generate 10 million litres of water per annum, with the capacity to benefit 500 households in nine areas.
Mchunu also inspected a borehole donated by Gift of the Givers at Elizabeth Donkin Psychiatric Hospital.
The boreholes donated by the Gift of the Givers in various parts of the metro can augment water supply to the municipality by six billion litres per day.
The third borehole visited by Mchunu is at the Coegakop Ground Water Development Project, which falls under the metro.
Mchunu was informed that the completion date for the project, which includes treatment capacity on site, is 30 October 2022. On completion, the project is expected to supply the metro a yield of 12 MLD (Minimal Liquid Discharge).
The project is also designed to raise the yield to 20 MLD, which creates assurance of supply for the long-term.
Mchunu said despite interventions made by Water and Sanitation to ensure water supply to Nelson Mandela Bay residents, the contributions made by NGOs and the private sector have made a tremendous difference in the area.
“It is very important that we continue with partnerships of this kind because government can’t make these kinds of interventions alone, and we have made it known that we are out there to promote partnerships in order to address water supply challenges in the country,” Mchunu said.
However, Mchunu warned community members not to overuse water because of the water augmentation efforts through the boreholes.
He said the more boreholes are being donated, the more water restrictions will be implemented to ensure that there is a reduction of water usage in the metro.
“The completion of these boreholes is merely a necessary security measure to preserve water. It does not mean that people must now relax and use water wastefully because there are now boreholes that assist with water supply,” Mchunu said.
Coca-Cola’s Head of Sustainability, Ntsako Baloyi, assured that the provision of water by the boreholes is at no cost to the communities.
“The boreholes are not running with electricity and are purely dependent on the solar system. As a beverage company, we take health and safety very seriously, and therefore all our water goes through thorough testing before it gets into the taps.
“The supply of water is at no cost to communities and we will be maintaining the boreholes for two years before we hand them over to the municipality,” Baloyi said.