PLETTENBERG BAY  NEWS - Bitou's water supply system received a welcome boost from the Gift of the Givers organisation - equipment to refurbish four boreholes that will mean delaying the onset of Day Zero for the municipality.

The equipment, including computer controls, pipes and pumps, was handed to the municipality by Gift of the Givers local representative Mario Ferreira on 28 January.

The reactivation of four boreholes in the Harkerville and Plettenberg Bay areas was made possible by sponsorship from the Shoprite Group, along with their partners, the Gift of the Givers.

"This project will provide residents with reliable access to drinking water while contributing to efforts aimed at mitigating the risk of a potential Day Zero," said Sanjeev Raghubir, chief sustainability officer of the Shoprite Group.

The boreholes, according to water manager Eddie Oosthuizen, will provide 800 000 litres per day towards Bitou's total 10ML water supply. "Not enough, but it's a positive step," he said.

Beginning

Ferreira said the Gift of the Givers responded to a call for assistance from the municipality and the GRDM disaster management unit to find a long-term solution to bolster the 40-day window period to prevent Day Zero from happening,

Bitou Mayor Jessica Kam-kam, along with council leadership, councillors and municipal officials, attended the handover of the equipment at the Plettenberg Bay water purification facility.

Kamkam said she hoped this partnership with Gift of the Givers was "only the beginning" and thanked Shoprite for its contribution to the community.

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