Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman says there is always hope and possibilities with partnerships being the only rational, meaningful and practical manner to solve Nelson Mandela Bay’s water crisis.
Sooliman said a crisis of this magnitude could never be dealt with alone.
“There is no place for party politics, opportunism or indecisiveness,” Sooliman said on Thursday.
“The metro, its surroundings and the 1.8-million people have to be saved, and it has to be done yesterday.
“Gift of the Givers, the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber and the municipality have taken hands to augment, save and deliver water timeously and effectively.
“The aim is to provide millions of litres of additional water.
“Gift of the Givers has drilled six boreholes already and we are busy with two more.
“We are striving towards 30 as far as it is practically possible.”
He said they would be adding 15-million litres of water a week to the system, largely through an incredible partnership with generous businesses.
“A borehole at Malabar Primary School has added another 500,000l a day to the augmentation process.
“We have brought in our staff from East London, a second drilling machine, and additional hydrologists to mark out various sites at schools, clinics and hospitals.
“The municipality is handing over their dormant boreholes at strategic locations for us to resuscitate, install pumps, connect electricity, set up JoJo tanks on concrete blocks, lay water pipes and spread water to multiple communities as is our standard practice,” Sooliman said.
According to Sooliman, through those additional processes they hoped to augment the system with many more millions of litres of water a week.
He praised the efficient results of the overall partnership.
“The municipality, in spearheading the repair of several thousand leaks in the streets, has put every available plumber to work and at more than 60 schools.
“Citizens are requested to be proactive.
“Coke is augmenting Gift of the Givers borehole efforts having drilled three already and given us 20 JoJo tanks, Vodacom has given us 55 tanks, SPAR 40, VW 30 and JoJo itself 15.
“Gift of the Givers will set these up for the municipality in areas where water supply has shutdown significantly.
“While everyone is making an effective contribution, the municipal engineers led by Barry Martin can focus on structural interventions.”
The elderly, physically and mentally challenged cannot be expected to join water queues, Sooliman said.
He said they had arranged bottled water for that purpose in their huge warehouse in Gqeberha.
“Bottled water distribution to the said institutions has commenced.
“The goodwill is flowing through all partners, we await assistance from the rest of our fellow citizens in the country in a spirit of ubuntu and nation building.
“Together we can make it happen,” Sooliman said.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, Gift of the Givers and the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality are working together to come up with plans to fight the water disaster the metro is facing due to the drought and the massive amount of unrepaired leaks.
HeraldLIVE
Gift of Givers now strives for 30 boreholes in Nelson Mandela Bay
Image: WERNER HILLS
Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman says there is always hope and possibilities with partnerships being the only rational, meaningful and practical manner to solve Nelson Mandela Bay’s water crisis.
Sooliman said a crisis of this magnitude could never be dealt with alone.
“There is no place for party politics, opportunism or indecisiveness,” Sooliman said on Thursday.
“The metro, its surroundings and the 1.8-million people have to be saved, and it has to be done yesterday.
“Gift of the Givers, the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber and the municipality have taken hands to augment, save and deliver water timeously and effectively.
“The aim is to provide millions of litres of additional water.
“Gift of the Givers has drilled six boreholes already and we are busy with two more.
“We are striving towards 30 as far as it is practically possible.”
He said they would be adding 15-million litres of water a week to the system, largely through an incredible partnership with generous businesses.
“A borehole at Malabar Primary School has added another 500,000l a day to the augmentation process.
“We have brought in our staff from East London, a second drilling machine, and additional hydrologists to mark out various sites at schools, clinics and hospitals.
“The municipality is handing over their dormant boreholes at strategic locations for us to resuscitate, install pumps, connect electricity, set up JoJo tanks on concrete blocks, lay water pipes and spread water to multiple communities as is our standard practice,” Sooliman said.
According to Sooliman, through those additional processes they hoped to augment the system with many more millions of litres of water a week.
He praised the efficient results of the overall partnership.
“The municipality, in spearheading the repair of several thousand leaks in the streets, has put every available plumber to work and at more than 60 schools.
“Citizens are requested to be proactive.
“Coke is augmenting Gift of the Givers borehole efforts having drilled three already and given us 20 JoJo tanks, Vodacom has given us 55 tanks, SPAR 40, VW 30 and JoJo itself 15.
“Gift of the Givers will set these up for the municipality in areas where water supply has shutdown significantly.
“While everyone is making an effective contribution, the municipal engineers led by Barry Martin can focus on structural interventions.”
The elderly, physically and mentally challenged cannot be expected to join water queues, Sooliman said.
He said they had arranged bottled water for that purpose in their huge warehouse in Gqeberha.
“Bottled water distribution to the said institutions has commenced.
“The goodwill is flowing through all partners, we await assistance from the rest of our fellow citizens in the country in a spirit of ubuntu and nation building.
“Together we can make it happen,” Sooliman said.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, Gift of the Givers and the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality are working together to come up with plans to fight the water disaster the metro is facing due to the drought and the massive amount of unrepaired leaks.
HeraldLIVE
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