remain operational and sanitary when the municipal supply gets cut off, which is quite frequent in non-essential areas. “It gives us a great deal of security to have our own source of water, and the fact that we can assist under-privileged schools that are struggling with supply is a huge benefit” says Justin Betts, Project Manager at Swiss Property Group. In the basement, the continuous water flows at a constant pressure, before Grundfos equipment treats, purifies and distributes the water. Just on the outskirts of Cape Town, within the informal township ‘Bloekombos’, lies Masibambane Secondary School. Over- JOURNAL18 Justin Betts inspects the aquifer which supplies the Woodstock area with water. subscribed, with 1900 learners, it is assisted with alternate water provision via a nonprofit organisation ‘SOS’ that transports and distributes the excess aquifer water to needy communities. Now, Masibambane school, along with five other schools in the settlement, have a sustainable solution. They can now harvest rainwater and use groundwater from a neighbouring farm, ‘Mhudi’, and thanks to a donation from Grundfos, the taps and toilets for all students in the secondary school are running and flushing again. “Access to water in rural areas is very difficult and a school like this often experiences long periods, sometimes days, where there is no water. It is a huge challenge for them to retain a consistent supply and it’s very sad that schools such as these sometimes have to send the children home, which of course impacts learning time and causes huge sanitation issues” says Shelley Humphreys, Executive Director, SOS. Right now, there are nine 5,000-litre water storage tanks installed at the school, and two Grundfos pumps ensure there is now a consistent supply of water to all the taps and toilets, as well as to the micro-gardens, where the children grow vegetables to provide provisions for their own daily meals.
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