The City is working hard to increase access to water for basic hygiene under lockdown. Following the declaration of a National State of Disaster, the City initiated a programme to deliver water via water trucks to communities where the installation of standpipes is not possible.
The City always strives to provide the highest possible level of access to water, but this is sometimes constrained by factors beyond its control, such as settlements illegally established on railway lines, on sand dunes, or on a wetland. With the focus on basic hygiene as best defence against the spread of COVID-19, a plan had to be made to increase access to water in these areas.
To date the City’s emergency mitigation measures for these areas include:
- Delivery of 33 million litres of water via trucks.
- Installation of 93 water tanks in informal settlements, with efforts underway to increase this number.
- Increased janitorial services.
The City is making every effort to ensure service delivery continues and contingency measures are in place as far as possible while ensuring the safety of our staff and the public.
However, on Sunday 24 May, two of our water trucks were targeted by opportunistic criminals in separate incidents. During these attacks, our staff and contractors were robbed of their personal belongings at gun point.
Criminal acts cannot be tolerated. Beyond the trauma suffered by dedicated workers directly, the impact is felt by the vulnerable communities in the form of disruption to service delivery. These attacks are inexcusable, and the City condemns them in the strongest possible terms.
The first incident occurred in the morning en route to the Hillstar depot, and delayed delivery of water to the Oasis and Ollieboom informal settlement areas along Weltevreden Road in Mitchells Plain.
Later in the afternoon, a second truck was targeted by criminals while delivering water in Capricorn, and the service had to be temporarily withdrawn for that day.
The water delivery schedules resumed again on Monday. The two incidents have been reported to SAPS. Staff have been offered trauma counselling.
In the meantime, residents in the informal settlements across the City are reminded to:
- adhere to the recommended 1,5 metre physical distancing while in the queue, a practical way of doing this is by standing sideways and stretching both arms out in between you and the person next to you.
- wash their hands regularly using soap before and after handling the taps, as well as after shared facilities such as the communal toilets. (How to make a squeezy bottle and tippy tap)
During the delivery of water to the community, Water and Sanitation staff also reiterate the messaging of City Health officials in terms of maintaining hygiene practices of hand washing after sneezing, coughing or touching surfaces in public places.
I would like to thank our dedicated teams who are doing everything possible to ensure the stepped-up delivery of basic services during this time, as part of the fight against the spread of COVID-19.