Plea for money to deliver water

OPERATION Hydrate will be distributing huge amounts of water in Phuthaditjhaba in the Free State today, but they are still calling on the public for help in providing clean water to drought-stricken areas of the country.

In a statement, the organisation said the Shoprite group had donated two t r uckloads of drinking water.

Operation Hydrate had already delivered 350 000 litres of water to the Free State and the Eastern Cape.

The initiative was formed by a group of volunteers earlier this month after urgent calls for drinking water by many communities and reports that some had resorted to drinking sewage water out of desperation.

Scores of volunteers from Gauteng were then deployed to Senekal in the Free State, Aliwal North in the Eastern Cape and other areas to distribute thousands of litres of water in bottles and containers.

Gift of the Givers yesterday also said it would take part in the distribution of water, with its founder Imtiaz Sooliman saying the organisation had decided to buy a water tanker to complement existing ones.

They are also providing more Jojo tanks, plan to pay for boreholes in Bethlehem and send a fleet of trucks with bottled water to the area.

“The Bethlehem municipality will provide water at a subsidised rate of R1 800 per tanker,” said Sooliman.

While Operation Hydrate initially asked that good Samaritans provide water at various water points across Joburg, it has now said these points will close.

They are appealing to the public to donate cash to assist them in delivering their stockpiles of water.

Banking details for those who wish to donate are:

Operation Water, Absa account No 9314587739 – Staff Reporter

Help on the way to people hit by drought