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The water woes in Makhanda has been well documented as the city is experiencing the worst drought in over two centuries.
In June, the 45th edition of the National Arts Festival is set to be hosted in Makhanda but the lack of water have lead some festival goers to question whether or not the city would be able to supply their daily water needs.
The CEO of the Festival Tony Lankaster says the effects of the drought have been exacerbated by a largely inadequate and poorly maintained municipal infrastructure.
Algoa FM news earlier reported on how the Humanitarian Group Gift of the Givers had to come on board to help residents cope with the current water crisis.
Lankaster says a few people have said they might not attend the festival as they do not want to add a burden on an already fragile supply. He says he even read a post on social media saying that the festival was cancelled or was moving to another city.
He says none of this is true.
So what does the water crisis mean for the National Arts Festival?
The first priority is to make sure that Festival visitors are safe and comfortable, and that their presence doesn't result in extra pressure on the limited supply of water. This is taking a lot of work and planning, but we're confident we'll achieve both those things.
We have a borehole, sunk in partnership with Gift of the Givers, providing the Monument with 100 000 litres of water a day. This will be enough to sustain the Festival's main hub and the thousands of people who visit it each day.
We are establishing additional drinking water stations at all our main venues.
We will ferry water around town in tankers to refill existing and new tanks at our venues so that, wherever people gather, there will be enough water to drink and basic hygiene can be followed. This water will be sourced in a way that doesn't impact or diminish the City's scarce supply.
We are working with local guesthouses and the Rhodes University residences to ensure that there will be enough water for our visitors to drink and to attend to their personal needs.
We are working with Standard Bank and Gift of the Givers to increase water capacity in the townships, particularly at schools, so that residents do not experience a shortfall during the Festival and can go about their daily lives comfortably and safely.
Between now and June, we expect that a further 20 boreholes will be sunk around town, adding millions of litres of water daily into the system. All this water is being tested and will only be used if it is declared pure and potable against the highest-possible quality standards.
Lankaster says festival goers will not be a burden for Makhanda but will make a vital contribution to the local economy.
The National Arts Festival takes place from the 27th of June- 7th of July.
