Cerebos has availed half a million litres of water through a partnership with Gift of the Givers.

As Nelson Mandela Bay scrambles to secure its dwindling water supply, the business sector is ramping up its efforts through a multitude of interventions to find alternative sources of water supply, reduce leaks and support humanitarian efforts to secure access to water for communities.

Cerebos, the market leader in the retail salt market in South Africa with extended distribution into Southern Africa, has partnered with the Gift of Givers Foundation and has availed up to 500 000 litres per day of desalinated water for tanker collections.

Cerebos Managing Director John Drinkwater says they have offered this capacity to Gift of the Givers at no charge to support interim emergency measures as he is confident this water will find its way to those who desperately need it. Cerebos has also commited long term to an ongoing water donation of 1 Litre of water for every kilogram packet of Cerebos salt sold nationally. “You buy the salt we give you the water”

“We have offered the organisation our Halo 5Lt PET bottles at cost for short emergency supply and we will also donate 5000 x 5Lt bottles of Halo water. Furthermore, we are opening a 5Lt water drive through collection point in Newton Park where consumers can order 5Lt water online and then collect in drive through fashion. You can order Halo 5lt PET water at R10 per bottle, pay online and just collect from our 46 Newton Street, Newton Park, Drive through.

“We have also developed a range of Hygiene and Sanitation products under our Purist Hygiene brand and these products are also available. Orders can be placed on our Halo-Purist online site www.thephodshop.com. PHOD stands for Purist Halo Order Online and is pronounced POD. We would ask members of the public to return their bottles when collecting for the second time as these bottles will go for recycling. All Halo Bottles are BPA free.

This comes as the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber continues to encourage all residents and businesses to drastically reduce their daily water consumption as part of the city’s water crisis mitigation measures.

Chamber CEO Denise van Huyssteen has commended the companies for their swift interventions and this would go a long way in  mitigating the risks associated with the water crisis.

“We would like to appeal to businesses, where possible to support the Gift of the Givers with their humanitarian efforts, so as to ensure that there is equitable supply of water in communities. They still need hundreds more tanks and also the donation of drilling pumps would be welcome,” says Van Huyssteen.

As part of its interventions, the Chamber has launched a number of initiatives such as the Adopt A Leak, a similar concept to its Adopt A School initiative which aims to reduce the 10% contribution of schools to the metro’s water leaks challenge. Local businesses have supported 65 schools and clinics to date with plumbing maintenance and repairing leaks, as well as providing alternative water solutions such as rainwater tanks and boreholes.

The Adopt A Leak, Adopt A School and humanitarian interventions provide a platform for business to get involved and help avert the risks of a water crisis, and are being implemented in partnership with Gift of the Givers and the municipality.

Businesses willing to volunteer expertise and resources to Adopt A Leak, or contribute to the Water Crisis Fund, can contact the Business Chamber on 041 373 1122 or email taskteams@nmbbusinesschamber.co.za

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Alan Straton

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Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.

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