The Gift of the Givers is pouring R6 million into an intervention project for Beaufort West, which ran out of surface water this week.
Founder Imtiaz Sooliman said the foundation has been aware of the water crisis in the area, reports the Cape Argus.
“We had already embarked on a crisis intervention plan and had brought in a specialist hydrologist, Dr Gideon Groenewald, to study the possibility of accessing underground aquifers, drill boreholes and investigate the possibility of pumping water into the dam,” he said.
Groenewald and his team began drilling in Beaufort West early this month already, attaining a yield of 220 000 litres a day.
“The procedure of drilling in various areas continues tomorrow as we target the delivery of
1 million litres of water a day. The minimum cost thus far is R6 million. We expect this to rise substantially,” said Sooliman.
Meanwhile, trucks are preparing to deliver bottled water to Beaufort West.
Anton James-Brent Styan, the spokesperson for the MEC of local government, environmental affairs and development planning, said contrary to reports, Beaufort West had not reached a “day zero” situation, even though it’s main water source, the Gamka Dam, has run dry.
“The town has simply run out of surface water. It must be noted that the town relies mainly on groundwater and a reclamation plant for its water. This has been the case for some time,” Styan said.
City dam storage levels are currently at 28 percent usable water.