The Department of Water and Sanitation says it has dispatched 10 additional water tankers to Butterworth in an effort to ensure uninterrupted water supply to the drought-stricken Eastern Cape town.
Spokesperson, Sputnik Ratau says the Mnquma Local Municipality is facing acute water challenges as a result of the devastating drought that has led to critical dams supplying the area running dry.
He says, as a result, they had to mobilise additional resources to come up with short term interventions while long term projects are being implemented.
Ratau says the additional water tankers will ferry water from four boreholes that were drilled and equipped by the Department in the area.
Ratau further appealed to the community to guard the water tankers dispatched in their area and ensure that they are not vandalised.
“Vandalism of water infrastructure has become common in recent times and we condemn these acts as they have an adverse impact in the supply of water to communities. This infrastructure belongs to communities it has been allocated to, therefore the responsibility also lies within those communities to ensure that the infrastructure is protected”, he emphasised.