Dealing with the historical backlog of service delivery caused by centuries of colonial, apartheid and homeland rule is an expensive and arduous task that faces the Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR) in the Eastern Cape, especially the Eastern side of the province formerly the homeland of Transkei.

It is an exercise that requires government to think out of the box if it is to make any success of its endeavours.

One of the greatest challenges of citizens living in rural areas is access to clean drinking water without having to walk the usual number of kilometres balancing heavy buckets on their heads.

DRDAR has come up with an innovative yet inexpensive method of harvesting spring water from high hills and piping it down to reservoirs that in turn feed into communal taps.

Through its Rural Appropriate Technology Unit (RATU) the department has brought clean, safe and drinkable water to the people of Gobhoti village in Engcobo Municipality under the Chris Hani District.

On Friday, the Department handed over the spring protection project to the community of Gobhoti.

By doing this, DRDAR has fulfilled the Constitutional right of access to water to residents in three locations under Gobhoti, benefiting over 500 households.