By Lloyd Govindsamy
The community of Tongaat have, since the beginning of the floods, expressed their gratefulness towards non-profit organisations and private sponsors for their assistance after the small town in the north of durban was ravaged by floods in April and May
Many communities remain firm in their belief that without sponsors and humanitarian aid organisation, the people would not have survived the brutality of limited water supply. An elderly couple, who collect water at least twice a week from water tanks supplied by the Gift Of The Givers and Human Aid in Buffelsdales, said without the tanks their lives would be extremely difficult.
Zarina Dawood, a 60-year-old resident of Tongaat, suffers many ailments which makes collecting water a major task. “It is very difficult and tiring for elderly people of the community to collet water this way. Tankers work on an irregular schedule and we cannot rely on them, therefore we make a trip from Gandhi’s Hill to Buffelsdale with as many containers and bottles that we can fit into the car.”
Dawood said she and her husband, 76-year-old Shaik Amod, need to make special arrangements to be able to fetch water. “Whenever we plan to go we make sure that the car is empty and can carry as many bottles as possible. We use this water for everything except consumption. Water is a very valuable resource. Without it there’s no life,” said Amod.
Ahmed Osman, the founder of Human Aid SA, said the organisation is dedicated to providing services to all in need. “Water is a basic need and life without it is impossible. We could not see the people of Tongaat or any other area suffer, so the team immediately reacted and started supplying water to the area.”
Osman said they have also managed to acquire bottled drinking water and establish a distribution site in Tongaat, from where they supply schools and the community. “We also, through a network and collaboration with businesses, supply bulk water via tankers which are strategically located in various parts on Tongaat and surrounding areas. We are grateful to the Almighty and to our donors, through which we are able to serve humanity,” said Osman.
He added that the organisation has recently completed its third borehole in Tongaat. “The latest one is at Fairbreeze Secondary School. These boreholes became a lifeline of water supply for communities in close proximity of them, but we need all the assistance we can get. Help us help those in need by donating to Human Aid SA or by dropping off water to the local Checkstar, Checksave or Hypercheck stores. This water will reach those affected by the crisis,” said Osman.
