Cape Town – The City of Cape Town has advised residents in the south of the metropole to store enough water this weekend ahead of planned leak repairs.
It said the Water and Sanitation Directorate would be doing urgent repairs on its 915mm diameter bulk reticulation water main in the south from 12pm on Saturday, November 5 until 4pm on Sunday, November 6.
According to the acting mayoral committee member for water and sanitation, Siseko Mbandezi, some areas will probably be without water.
The areas that will be affected by this maintenance include: Pelican Park, Eagle Park, New Horizon, Peacock Close, Pelican Heights, Strandfontein, San Remo, Bay View, Phumlani, Zeekoevlei, Grassy Park, Lotus River, Schaapkraal, Ottery, Wetton, Knole Park, Retreat, Heathfield, Steenberg, Elfindale, Marina Da Gama, Lavender Hill, Seawinds, Vrygrond, Parkwood Estate, Fairways, Southfield, Plumstead, Wynberg, Muizenberg, Lakeside and Diep River.
Mbandezi said water tankers and standpipes will be made available in several locations, which will be communicated on Friday on the City of Cape Town’s City Alerts Twitter page.
He said careful consideration had been given to the planning of this work to ensure it was being done at a time that was least disruptive to the water supply.
All sites where water and sanitation repairs and upgrades were conducted were deemed construction sites and were off-limits to the public.
He said maintenance work could take longer than anticipated.
Mbandezi advised residents that once the water supply had been restored, water might be discoloured or look milky for a while.
This is because of trapped air in the pipes and if water is left to stand in a glass, the discolouration will clear.
How residents can prepare for the planned water supply disruptions:
• Store enough water in clean, sealed containers
• Keep taps closed during this period to prevent water loss or damage when the water supply has been restored.
This work follows two test-run shut-offs that took place on Wednesday, October 26 and Tuesday, November 1.
This was done to determine the impact of the shut-offs and options for re-routing water supply, and to determine the locations where standpipes and water tankers would be needed.
“The Water and Sanitation maintenance team knows what must be done to address the current serious leak on the 915mm diameter water main. Our maintenance teams are doing their utmost to minimise the impacted areas, but the location of the leak and network operational needs means they have to shut off the newly installed 1 200mm diameter bulk water valve to stop the flow of water temporarily for this essential work.
“This unfortunately, will result in a large area having its water supply disrupted. This is the only way the repairs can be conducted under safe working conditions,” Mbandezi said.
The City of Cape Town has embarking on several water maintenance and repair projects.
Last month residents in the Gordon’s Bay, Somerset West and Strand areas also experience water supply disruptions because of ongoing maintenance and repairs.
In September, residents on the Cape Flats were advised of a three-day water disruption as a bulk water main was repaired.
robin.francke@inl.co.za
IOL