Clean water remains priority for KZN: Red Cross SA

International organisation Red Cross South Africa says with all the aid going to flood-ridden KwaZulu-Natal, getting clean water to stricken communities remains their main priority. They are calling on the donor community to help in its efforts to assist flood victims in Durban.

So far, they have managed to provide hot meals and blankets to eight of the 12 shelters that are housing affected residents.

With all hands on deck, Red Cross South Africa has reached over 2 400 people giving them hot meals and trying to provide some comfort at the evacuation centres amid uncertainties.

“We have managed to reach eight out of 24 centres where there are resources. We are appealing to donor communities to elevating human suffering in KZN. We need more blankets and hygiene packs, people that escaped have nothing,” says the organisation’s Ireen Mutombwa.

KZN Floods | Red Cross appeals for donations to help victims 

Beyond dignity packs, pipes have run dry and access to clean safe water is fundamental.

“There are some communities where we used to reach communities and there is no water supply, people are fetching water from the rivers and it’s brown water and the situation is dire,” says Mutombwa.

Richard Mabaso, CEO of the Imbuba Foundation, is also lending a helping hand.

“We have come up with our response package which includes water, food parcels and blankets. Through our network of partners, we are able to provide much-needed psycho-social support,” says Mabaso.

They are sensitizing communities on how they can treat their own water before consumption.

The international organisation now wants to provide some residents with home water treatment skills.

KZN Floods | Thousands displaced, more aid sought: