The City’s Water and Sanitation Department will be performing a shutdown of the water supply to the Blue Downs and Kuils River areas, in order to connect the 1500mm Blackheath bulk water main to a newly constructed 100 meter length of pipeline in Belhar Road. This will result in a water disruption to various suburbs from Friday, 28 May 2021 at 12:00 until Monday, 31 May 2021 at 12:00. Residents should prepare for possible low water pressure or disruption to their water supply during the shutdown, particularly the high-lying areas of Sarepta and Highbury. Read more below:
The Belhar Road in Highbury is being widened to improve road safety, reducing motor vehicle accidents and traffic congestion. To support this vital road upgrade, the water supply infrastructure running parallel to the road also required realignment. A 100m pipeline was planned and constructed in anticipation of these roadworks and now that it is complete, work to connect it to the 1500mm Blackheath bulk water main will be done this weekend. This operation has been moved to an earlier timeslot of 12:00 instead of 14:00 as originally conveyed due to revisions in operational planning.
The areas of Dennemere, Austinville, Blackheath Industrial, Happy Valley, Summerville, Hagley, Saxenburg, Ou Nooiensfontein, Nuwe Nooiensfontein, Dannarand, Sarepta, Kalkfontein, Highbury, Voelvlei, Mabille Park and Wesbank could be affected by the shutdown. High lying areas of Sarepta and Highbury are most likely to experience low pressure or no access to water services during this time.
Water tankers will be provided as follows:
One at Kappertjie Street and surrounds in Sarepta,
One at Arendse Street and surrounds in Highbury and
One roaming the high lying areas of Highbury, Stellendale, Dannarand, Vloelvlei and Mabile Park.
Water supplied from these tankers is clean and safe for domestic use
Residents in the Blue Downs and Kuils River areas are encouraged to reduce non-essential water consumption this weekend to reduce pressure on the system while works are under way. Reducing water consumption will help ease the impact on communities.
Residents are also advised to store water in clean, sealed containers in advance and to ensure that their taps are left in the closed position during this period to prevent any water loss and/or water damage when the supply is restored.
Should the duration of the disruption be longer than anticipated, the City will ensure that this information is immediately relayed to the public.
The City regrets any inconvenience caused, however this upgrade will ensure future stability and continuity of water supply to the area.
Source: City Of Cape Town