As Day Zero approaches for the drought-stricken Western Cape, bottled water brand aQuellé has donated almost 30 000 ℓ of bottled water to retirement homes across Cape Town.
aQuellé MD Arno Stegen and other drivers are expected to deliver 19 008 one-and-a-half-litre bottles equating to 28 512 ℓ to nongovernmental organisation (NGO) Water Shortage South Africa on Tuesday after a two-day drive from the company’s KwaZulu-Natal headquarters.
The NGO will distribute the water to 80 registered retirement homes to aid the frail and infirm who will not be able to stand in queues for their daily water quota when Day Zero hits.
The company is also working with its retail partners and NGOs to assess where and how they can help further.
“Together with the South African National Bottled Water Association and other NGOs, we are working to identify areas of vulnerability and assisting wherever possible,” said Stegen.
In addition, the company is transporting an additional 804 097 ℓ of water from its main plant in Kranskop, KwaZulu-Natal, to the smaller secondary plant in Franschhoek, which services the Western Cape and is already operating at maximum capacity to meet consumer demand.