Cape Town - The City of Cape Town has delivered more than 100 million litres of water to informal settlements since the start of a nationwide lockdown in late March aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19.
In a statement late on Monday, the council said the temporary emergency water delivery service was aimed at promoting basic hygiene to those communities to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus.
“Even as lockdown restrictions have progressively been eased, the city’s Informal Settlements Basic Services team has been working intensively to help vulnerable communities,” it said.
A total of 307 water tanks ranging in capacity from 2,500 to 2,700 litres had been installed in densely populated informal areas situated on city-owned land in two phases, it said, adding that efforts were under way to connect the water tanks to the reticulation network as a future source of water.
The programme has seen trucks with capacities of 8,000 to 30,000 litres deliver water to 173 informal settlements across the city every second day at a cost of just over R43 million to date, with the help of the national department of water and sanitation which has disbursed money from a fund targeted at Covid-19 mitigation programmes.
In many communities, especially those established through land invasions, water provision had been limited by factors such as land ownership, density or high water tables, mayco member for water and waste Xanthea Limberg said.
“‘Without the water delivery service to these communities, residents would have had to walk much longer distances to get water, and maintaining social distance at the standpipes would have been difficult,” she said.
In summary:
- Currently there are 15 trucks deployed seven days a week.
- 307 ‘Jojo-style’ water tanks have been installed in various locations throughout the city.
- The trucks deliver water to 173 informal settlements across the city. Each area is visited every second day.
- The truck capacities vary between 8000 litres and 30 000 litres. Smaller trucks are needed to access areas with space constraints.
- The water is tested to ensure it is compliant and safe to drink.
- Total cost of the service thus far is just over R43 million.
- The City thanked the National Department of Water and Sanitation for their contribution of grant funding for Covid-19 mitigation programme.
African News Agency (ANA)