Cape Town - The City of Cape Town has issued an advisory for residents to use water sparingly as its technicians tend to emergency repairs to its bulk water supply network which requires a changeover.
The City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Directorate, which is conducting the repairs, said at the weekend that the planned work would affect water supply network across the city over the following 48 hours.
According to the department, the work will involve repairs on the bulk water supply from the Blackheath side, which requires the rerouting of the water supply within the bulk water network.
Water and Sanitation Mayco Member Zahid Badroodien said: “The bulk water supply is also currently constrained due to essential upgrades currently happening at the Faure Water Treatment Plant, limiting the overall daily water production volume.”
Badroodien also revealed that lower water pressures may be expected especially in the high-lying parts of the city.
“The Drakenstein and Stellenbosch municipalities as well as residents across Cape Town are urgently requested to reduce their water usage while the work is being done. This will reduce the strain on the water supply.
“The City sincerely regrets any inconvenience caused, but it must maintain its water supply for the benefit of its consumers,” he said.
While the City tends to the emergency repair works, Cape Town residents are being called on to be patient.
“Careful consideration is given to the planning of this work given the extremely limited time frame available to ensure it is being done in a manner that is least disruptive to the water supply,” the City said.
According to the Department of Water and Sanitation all sites where water and sanitation repairs and upgrades are conducted are deemed to be construction sites and, as such, are off-limits to members of the public.
“Sometimes the maintenance work can be more complex than anticipated, which means the work could take longer. For a short period after the supply has been restored, the water may be discoloured, open an outside tap and try to collect the water for alternate use.
“The water may also look milky. This is because of trapped air in the pipes. If left to stand in a glass, the appearance will become clear, as normal,” Badroodien said.
For updates on the maintenance work, the general public can follow @CityofCTAlerts which is a City of Cape Town Twitter account.