Cape Town - Residents in the southern areas of Cape Town have been advised to store enough water ahead of an urgent leak repair operation this weekend.
The City of Cape Town’s water and sanitation directorate will be doing urgent repairs on its 915mm diameter bulk reticulation water main in the southern areas of Cape Town from noon on Saturday until 4pm on Sunday.
During this period, the affected areas will likely experience no water.
Affected areas 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.
This City said the work follows two test run shut-offs to determine the extent of the shut-off’s impact, options for re-routing the water supply, and locations for standpipes and tankers, to prepare for the repairs happening this weekend.
“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,” said acting mayoral committee member for water and sanitation, Siseko Mbandezi.
Residents are advised to prepare for planned water supply disruptions by storing enough water in clean, sealed containers and keeping taps closed to prevent any water loss or damage when the water supply is restored.
Locations of tankers and standpipes will be communicated on Friday via the City Alerts Twitter page: https://twitter.com/CityofCTAlerts.
Cape Times