For most of the residents in the south, a “cowboy splash” may be on the cards, following an appeal for residents to use water sparingly during planned maintenance.
Several areas in the southern suburbs will experience water supply disruption for 72 hours, from Monday 24 June to Wednesday 26 June, with water supply set to be restored by Thursday morning
- Wynberg
- Wetton
- Ottery
- Plumstead
- Diep River
- Southfield
- Elfindale
- Heathfield
- Retreat
- Steenberg
- Lavender Hill
- Seawinds
- Vrygrond
- Muizenberg
- Parkwood
- Lotus River
- Grassy Park
- Zeekoevlei
- Pelican Park
- Pelican Heights
- Peacock Close
- Eagle Park
The duration of the water supply disruption is due to the size and scale of the pipe network, the time it takes to clear the pipeline so it is safe for the maintenance team to work on and the time is takes for the pipeline to fill afterwards to build up sufficient pressure to supply water across the affected network when the work is completed, says the City of Cape Town.
“This shutdown is necessary so that crucial maintenance work can be done safely on an important section of our water supply network, which includes replacing faulty valves. We do sincerely regret the inconvenience this will cause to many of our residents, but delaying this work has the potential for even greater risk to our water supply in the near future. It is being done over a time to minimise the impact on residents as much as possible. Previously we did work on our bulk water supply network. This time it is on our reticulation network- the pipes that bring water to properties,’ says Zahid Badroodien, Mayco Member for Water and Sanitation.
Residents are urged to store water in clean sealed containers, sinks and baths where possible.
- Use water sparingly in this period, only for essential use
- Consider a “cowboy splash” or “top and tail” or ‘waskom’ wash for body washing. Use a bucket or large plastic bowl of water to wipe yourself down.
- Use greywater from washing to flush toilets.
- Use a bucket or bowl in the sink to wash dishes. Do not fill the whole sink with water.
- Spot-clean clothes where necessary.
- You will not be able to hose down hard-surfaced or paved areas with municipal tap water.
- Alternative water coming directly from boreholes and well-points should not be used for drinking, cooking (and food preparation) or body washing, as it is not treated municipal tap water and it could be contaminated.
- You will not be able to water gardens or top up swimming pools with tap water, as these are not essential use.
- Make sure your geyser is turned off for the duration of the pipeline maintenance period to prevent any damage.
- Ensure that all taps are closed to prevent water loss and/or damage when the supply is restored.
- Only use drinking water from the City’s network (stored or from the water tanker) or bottled water
- Do not collect water from the scour valves, which will be opened at certain times to allow for flushing out sediments and debris from the system.
Six available water tankers will be deployed throughout the three days for emergency relief. With limited capacity, these tankers will be located at key areas and it will require that residents travel to collect water in clean containers. This water is safe to drink.
The City has also embarked on a two-year, R796 million Cape Flats Bulk Sewer rehabilitation project, the largest sewer upgrade in South Africa, impacting many of the same areas. This critical project see the rehabilitation of 28km of sewers, set to be completed next year.
“We found over the years, because of insufficient maintenance of this particular network, high sedimentation was present in large stretches of this particular pipeline. That simply means that this pipeline was really filled with sand and so two things needed to happen, we needed to clear the pipe so that more sewage could flow through it and then secondly we needed to reinforce the pipe as well so that we could expand and increase the longevity of the pipe,” says Badroodien to People’s Post.
