All the allocated water tanks have been delivered, but less than 350 have been full installed.
THE DEPARTMENT of Water and Sanitation in the Northern Cape has expressed concern regarding the slow pace of installation of water tanks in some municipalities in the Province.
Department spokesperson Amogelang Moholoeng confirmed on Monday that all 884 water tanks allocated to the Northern Cape had been delivered. However, according to the department’s latest progress report, only 347 water tanks are fully installed and 227 are in temporary use awaiting full installation.
The provincial head of the Department of Water and Sanitation in the Northern Cape, Kobus Streuders, has urged municipalities to accelerate the pace of installation of tanks and connecting them to the existing water reticulation network.
“The underutilisation of the water trucks is a continuing concern to us as a department. The cost of renting the water trucks (tankers) is very high and due to budgetary constraints we need to reduce them to a minimum. All municipalities are therefore requested to relook into and reassess their needs to see how each water truck can be utilised to its full capacity,” Streuders said.
Streuders cautioned that “water trucks that are underutilised would be deployed to needier communities”.
“The provision of emergency water services to communities remains key in the fight against Covid-19,” he stated.
