Gift of the Givers donates six boreholes to drought-stricken town of Adelaide

Humanitarian organisation, Gift of the Givers, has donated six boreholes to the drought-stricken town of Adelaide town and its surrounding areas.

This will bring some relief to communities and business that rely on water for daily operations.

Drought and aging infrastructure are the major contributors to water scarcity in Adelaide.

Supply dams levels have dropped significantly.

Prolonged Eastern Cape drought threatens livelihoods:

Residents have only had access to water on certain days.

Gift of the Givers has again come to the rescue.

The organisation’s Aly Salby says some communities have had no water for the past seven years.

“As we know in November 2020, Adelaide reached day zero. They had no water at all as the dam was completely empty and that’s when our chairman visited the town and decided to build additional six boreholes. That’s what we are doing now. We are handing over six boreholes. Some of these communities had no water for the past seven years and we are here today to open these boreholes which will help Adelaide.”

Residents grateful

Adelaide residents are grateful. Resident, Nowandisile Lolwana, says they have been struggling.

“We were struggling with water and we would complain, but nothing happened,” Lolwana says.

Another resident, Nothabile Makhenyana, says they are grateful for the initiative.

“We are grateful for his initiative. We will make sure it is not vandalised,” Makhenyana adds.

Permanent solution

A supply dam will be a permanent solution.

Executive Mayor Raymond of the Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality, Bandile Ketelo, says, “The government has decided that it needs to build a big dam here in Adelaide. It’s in the region of over a billion rands that dam, Foxwood dam. It has been gazetted. However, I think we are still having a problem of funding. At the moment, the government is still mobilising funding so that the dam can be built and we think that’s one of the best solutions we have.”

Gift of the Givers is planning similar initiatives in the other drought stricken areas around the country.