Department delivers 100 water tankers to Gauteng communities

In an effort to flatten the curve of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Gauteng, the Department of Water and Sanitation on Sunday delivered 100 more water tanks to needy communities in Soweto.

At over 500 cases, Gauteng province has to date recorded the highest number of COVID-19 infections in the country.

The 100 water tankers, with a capacity of 2 500 litres, are an addition to the 187 water tanks delivered by the department on Saturday to communities across the province.

The department aims to deliver water tanks and water tankers (trucks) to vulnerable communities to allow them access to water to wash their hands during the period of the virus.

The department is one of the frontline government departments working to ensure that the country is not catastrophically overwhelmed by the virus.

In line with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s measures to combat the virus, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu announced the immediate provision of water, particularly desperate communities.

This is to prevent the curve of the virus being even steeper if communities lack access to water.

The department’s Gauteng Provincial Head, Sibusiso Mthembu, said the delivery of water to various communities is well underway and proceeding at a satisfactory pace.

Mthembu said Gauteng is the engine of the country’s economy and this means that no effort should be spared to ensure that there is a semblance of normality in as far as water access is concerned.

He said the central objective of the department is to quickly provide water to communities to weather the storm of increasing infections, “making it a point that people are able to stay healthy now and beyond the Coronavirus pandemic”.

“It is of utmost importance that community members keep a social distance and stay one meter apart, as they are out to access water from the water tanks… We must stop the transmission of the virus,” Mthembu said.

He reiterated that saving lives is important as the department continues to ensure that the vulnerable are cushioned from the impact of the virus.