Sentinel Primary Hout Bay sent out a cry for help this morning on their Facebook page, saying that the school has a huge problem due to a water outage in the area for the past two days – and counting.
“It goes beyond an inconvenience. The children need drinking water, as many of them do not bring water and juice to school. In this case, they cannot bring water to school, as the water is off at their homes too. This is our biggest concern and needs with regard to the water issue. If there is any way that anyone who hears about this issue can help, we will appreciate it greatly,” the school’s message posted early on Wednesday 12 October read.
Two separate incidents have led to water outages, the first affecting the Valley area, and the second Hout Bay Harbour, Heights and parts of Hangberg.
The first was logged on Monday 10 October. According to Rob Quintas, councillor for Ward 74, it was due to “a fire hydrant related issue which occurred last night” in Valley Road, resulting in a burst pipe. The second, which caused the water to be off since 02:00 on Tuesday 11 October, was a burst water pipe on Harbour Road.This morning (Wednesday 12 October), Quintas posted on Facebook that the Valley Road pipe burst affecting the Valley area had been repaired.“The system is being air flushed and water should be restored by mid-morning,” he wrote.
No timeline has yet been provided on when the water is expected to be up and running in Hout Bay Harbour, Heights and Hangberg. The proximity of electrical infrastructure, as well as a palm tree, to the damaged water pipes in Harbour Road, has been cited as the reason for the delay in repairs.The City’s Parks and Forestry team removed the palm tree, which was obstructing the repair area, last night.
“This was done under the supervision of Electricity teams. The Electricity teams are now making the area safe so that the Water teams can start repairs with no risk nor interruption,” said Quintas.
According to the councillor, four water tanks will be positioned in the affected area later this morning: one at the Hout Bay Harbour, one at the Engen at Victoria Avenue, one at Sentinel Primary School and another “will river in” between Oudeskip Park, Texas Park and Salamander Park.
“We apologise for the inconvenience and disruption and are working to resolve these issues as soon as possible,” he said.
