Water on wheels brings relief to Makhanda
Thousands of desperate people queued in the hot sun at dozens of distribution points around Makhanda east to get their 10 litres of bottled drinking water from disaster relief organisation, Gift of the Givers.
The organisation sent seven articulated truckloads with 30,500 five-litre containers to the Makana municipality for distribution this week to alleviate one of the worst water outages suffered by the city of Makhanda to date.
Some areas had, by Wednesday, been without water for nine days when the trucks arrived.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” said a beaming Emily Prins, 74, as she carried off her two containers in Extension 6.
She said water had begun trickling back into her taps early in the morning but it was as “brown as coffee”, smelly and undrinkable.
Makhanda municipality issued a statement last week claiming the water pumped from the Fish River into the Glen Melville dam – from where Makhanda east draws its water had been too turbid (muddy) to pump to the treatment plants and they had to wait four or five days for it to settle.
Most of Makhanda west, including Rhodes University, also lost its water supply on Tuesday morning after a major pipe burst above the institution. Most of the university’s students returned to resume their studies on Monday, only to find there was no water in the taps just a day later.
While Gift of the Givers trucks, assisted by the SA National Defence Force, SA Police Services and the provincial and local traffic departments, distributed the water, the Unemployed Peoples’ Movement demonstrated in front of the Makhanda City Hall, demanding that the council be dissolved and new elections held.
Uncollected rubbish was strewn across the street and debris and tyres were set alight at the entrance to the city hall.
Carrying placards which read “Makana Management is a disgrace”, “Corruption affects us all” and “No more Politicians, Potholes & Poo”, people said they wanted the ANC-led council gone.
A silent strike by municipal workers who are ostensibly protesting their lack of protective clothing and tools to ply their trades has also resulted in rubbish piling up in every corner of the filthy little city. Sewage is flowing down the roads as blockages have also not been attended to.
But, at least some people were able to drink fresh water on Wednesday, thanks to the Gift of the Givers foundation.
The organisation’s Ali Sablay said people had been desperate for water but distribution had gone well.
Some were left disappointed when the water ran out while they were in the queues at distribution points.