Humanitarian aid organisation Gift of the Givers has stepped in to assist Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital in Gauteng with water supply after their’s was shut off with no clear explanation.
The hospital in Coronationville performs a vital service to the community and patients, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Water delivery to the hospital and to the region has shutdown inexplicably on 19 May with no clear explanation from the relevant water authority as to the cause of the problem. This was mentioned by the hospital CEO in a media interview who went on to say that at first it was thought that pump failure due to load shedding was the cause but now seems that ageing water infrastructure is the challenge,” the Gift of the Givers said in a post on Facebook.
The rapid rise in coronavirus cases is also a concern – the third wave is predicted to hit mid-June, according to health authorities.
Rahima Moosa is one of the feeder hospitals for Charlotte Maxeke Hospital, which has not completely opened all wards just yet. Healthcare workers are trying to catch up with the backlog, and without water, that is impossible. This also exacerbates COVID-19 infections and adequate treatment.
“Gift of the Givers were approached by hospital staff and management requesting bottled water, portable toilets and any practical assistance to augment the water tankers arriving daily.
“Having delivered bottled water on 28 and 31 May, Gift of the Givers drilling teams will be arriving at the hospital shortly, having been granted permission by the management and infrastructure team to drill for water,” said Gift of the Givers.
The organisation got their geologist, Dr Gideon Groenewald, to find a suitable drilling site for borehole water.
“Existing, defunct boreholes will be assessed with a view to resuscitate them whilst drilling for new boreholes then pumping water directly into the hospital infrastructure using booster pumps and setting up taps outside the hospital for community usage once the water has been tested and approved for human consumption,” they said.
In the meanwhile, they called for donations of bottled water from companies to assist while they await successful drilling, yield testing and laboratory water tests. You can donate here.
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