Johannesburg – The Gift of the Givers has assisted the struggling Adelaide community in the Amathole District, facilitating six more boreholes and 400 food parcels.
The area of Adelaide has been drought stricken since 2017, the non-profit organisation said, while poor infrastructure has left the area without water since 2014.
Dr Imtiaaz Sooliman, the founder of the Gift of the Givers, said they had drilled four boreholes in the area two years ago when they were approached to intervene. This came after levels at the Adelaide Dam dropped at a sharp rate.
“Four boreholes were drilled at the dam, two at schools and one in the town. These boreholes were augmenting the municipality’s dwindling water supply and reduced the rate of ’emptying’ from the dam.
“This intervention assisted the town to pull through a whole year but the inevitable, in the absence of rain, came to pass.
“Adelaide reached Day Zero in November 2020 with Gift of the Givers’ seven boreholes the only means of supply to the entire area,” said Sooliman.
Sooliman said Implats provided R18m to assist in drilling an additional six boreholes, with Dr Gideon Groenewald leading the operation.The donation also enabled the organisation to donate to the Eastern Cape, food parcels, hospital infrastructure upgrades and PPE donations.
Sooliman said it was not surprising that the boreholes were busy and they also provided water tankers to assist with deliveries in distant areas.
Meanwhile, a team of volunteers was currently in Alicedale, about 50km from Makhanda (Grahamstown), where they were considering a borehole for the area.
“There is a huge crisis for months, with absolutely no water available, affecting health facilities and the community. Our water tankers deliver water several days per week.
“Sadly, out of 22 commercial farmers, only two have survived, increased unemployment being a major knock on effect,” said Sooliman.
Back in Adelaide, the organisation has also installed Honda-sponsored generators to help the community cope with load shedding.
It also laid pipes and taps into communities, with JoJo Tank-sponsored water carriers installed at outlying communities.
“Water is provided to Bedford 25km away where we have drilled two boreholes,” he said.
Earlier on Friday, the six boreholes – of which four were already functional – were officially opened and more than 500 families in the Adelaide community received food parcels, sponsored by Woolworths.
“Gift of the Givers water teams are currently engaging the municipalities of Peddie, Makhanda and Graaff-Reinet to consider options on increasing water access to many more communities in the face of the crippling drought.
“Gift of the Givers is in discussion with community leaders and communities in these municipalities to engage in establishing food security to deal with hunger. Food parcels are not sustainable.
“The idea is enthusiastically embraced. Gift of the Givers will install booster pumps at all boreholes for water irrigation and provide seeds to commence the project,” said Sooliman.
IOL