As the country battles the worst drought in over two decades, Operation Hydrate says some communities in the Free State have resorted to drinking sewage water. 

The NGO, together with Mango Airlines, Shoprite and Proudly South African, aims to distribute more than 1 million litres of drinking water to communities devastated by the dry spell.

Operation Hydrate says the situation on the ground is distressing as people and communities are desperate for drinking water EWN reports.

Spokesperson Yaseen Theba says, “We’re getting reports of people drinking sewage water. We had reports last week of a person that was stabbed because a fight broke out while people were collecting water.”

While Mango Airlines has pledged over R500,000 towards the project and Shoprite also donating thousands of litres of water, Theba says more people need to get involved.

“We’re appealing to the public to continue donating cash and water. Every donor and volunteer truly embodies the spirit of Proudly South Africa with Ubuntu being at the heart of our relief operations.”

There have also been calls for national and provincial government to help communities who have little or no water.

–EWN (Faizel Patel)