More than 4500 water tanks have been dispatched to various communities in Eastern Cape Province.

This is in an effort stop the spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic which has claimed 48 lives so far.

This roll out of water tanks and tankers is spearheaded by the Department of Water and Sanitation, working with its entity in Eastern Cape, Amatola Water.

The roll out of water tanks across the country have been biased towards rural areas and informal settlements to enable them to frequently wash their hands with soap as advised by the World Health Organisation.

The informal settlements that have been targeted with most water tanks are in Sarah Baartman, Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City and OR Tambo areas which are densely populated in nature.

The installation of water tanks still is being done in most areas by local contractors that are sourced through local municipalities. Amatola Water has advised service providers that have been contracted by Amatola Water should make use of the local contractors and source labor locally to the level of the wards.

There is monitoring and evaluation of the service provided by Amatola Water, DWS and the municipalities.

This is meant to ensure that the installation has durability and no stands collapse after the process has been completed.