Staff Reporter
Cape Town residents in several areas have been advised to store enough water in advance in clean, sealed containers and keep taps closed as planned maintenance that started on Saturday is set to continue until Thursday.
The city’s Water and Sanitation Directorate said the maintenance includes pipe and valve installations, repairs and replacements, fire hydrant servicing and network tests.
It said the work is part of a “proactive” maintenance and upgrade drive aimed at ensuring continuity of water supply and reducing leaks.
The first scheduled shut-offs took place on Saturday on the Cape Point side of Simon’s Town and in the lower part of Kommetjie, where the city said it needed to install four fire hydrants and an air valve along Plateau Road in Simon’s Town, and replace a faulty 150mm valve at the corner of Arum Road and Kirsten Road in Kommetjie.
Further disruptions are scheduled from Tuesday.
In Mitchells Plain, the city said supply was due to be temporarily shut off from 9am to 5pm on Tuesday, to allow a further assessment ahead of a larger shut-off at a later date, and to enable alterations to an 840mm bulk distribution pipeline serving the area. Residents in parts of Mitchells Plain could experience low pressure or no water during the period, it said.
A separate shut-off along Govan Mbeki Drive — between Jan Smuts Drive and Heinz Road — is set for 9am to 6pm on Tuesday. This will affect parts of Hanover Park, Lansdowne, Newfields, Athlone Industria and Pinati Estate, where residents could face low pressure or no water.
Springfield Road and roads leading off it in Philippi are expected to have no water during that period as teams carry out six connections to a newly installed 305mm pipeline, the city said, adding that an alternate supply would be rerouted where possible.
Parts of Noordhoek and Chapman’s Peak are due to have supply shut off from 9am to 5pm on Wednesday, so teams can connect a bulk water meter at the intersection of Noordhoek Main Road and Lakeshore Drive as part of a tie-in for the Lake Michelle Residential Estate, it said.
Forest Village and Electric City are due to have supply shut off from 12pm to 12am on Thursday, to allow crews to connect to a 250mm water main at the corner of Forest Drive and Senegal Street, the city said.
Zero-pressure tests and conditional assessments are scheduled for Tuesday, affecting Brackenfell, Brackenfell South, Protea Hoogte, Bracken Nature Reserve and Protea Village (10am to 4pm), and the high-lying area of Fish Hoek above Main Road (9am to 4pm).
The city said it is not possible to predict which exact streets will lose supply during testing.
Water may appear discoloured or milky for a short period after restoration due to trapped air in pipes.
Additional updates will be posted on its social media accounts, according to the city, including tanker locations where applicable.
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