In response to water scarcity exacerbated by climate change, the Northern Coal Mine has constructed seven boreholes in communities around Carolina.
This initiative follows a request by the Executive Mayor of Chief Albert Luthuli Municipality, Cllr Mbusos Magubane, for private sector involvement in addressing the water crisis.
The boreholes, located on farms in Carolina, are intended to provide clean water to local communities. The project, which began on July 25, was completed on August 28.
Due to the distance between farms, a single ceremony was held at the Onbekend farm to hand over all seven boreholes to the municipality and the community.
At the handover event, the Executive Mayor acknowledged that the water scarcity issue is affecting multiple municipalities, not just CALM. He urged the community to protect the newly constructed infrastructure from vandalism and emphasized the importance of safeguarding these resources for the future.
Northern Coal Mine and the municipality signed an agreement formalizing the transfer of the boreholes to the municipality for community use.
The municipality’s long-term goal is to ensure that each farm in Carolina has access to a borehole to alleviate the ongoing water challenges. The Executive Mayor expressed hope that more private companies would collaborate on future projects to address the region’s water needs.
