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Potential water crisis managed, please keep saving water

POTENTIAL WATER CRISIS BEING MANAGED, PLEASE KEEP SAVING WATER
The potential city-wide water crisis is being managed following the recommissioning of an old raw water pipeline to the Water Treatment Works. Please continue to use water sparingly as the old raw water pipes are smaller and cannot handle full capacity and there is still no drinking water supply to reservoirs east of the city.

Water trucks are roaming in Thembalethu Zones 1-8 where reservoirs have run dry. Zone 9 still has water for now but will be monitored and supplied if required. Thank you to Mossel Bay Municipality for continued assistance with a large water truck to help supply to these areas.

Eastern suburbs of George, Kraaibosch and Victoria Bay will be experiencing extreme low pressure and still runs the risk of running dry. Water should be used for essentials only.

Please note that in high lying areas of eastern suburbs water pressure may be insufficient at the moment to supply water to taps. Nonetheless the entire network is systematically being checked and the necessary adjustments made.

Work is going well at the site in Genevafontein where a major raw water pipe burst under the tar in Herriot Street caused a large sink hole. The pipe supplies the town’s main water treatment works, which meant that water could not be pumped into the facility’s holding dams.

A traffic incident delayed work at the site, which was referred to the SAPS. It was later discovered that the drinking water pipe that runs parallel to the raw water line has also been damaged.

Civil engineering teams worked through the night excavating the sink hole site to safeguard it for workers, after which repairs commenced. Priority was given to the drinking water line which should be completed late afternoon and water supply reinstated thereafter. It will take additional few hours for water to have filled up sufficiently to restore full water pressure throughout the system.

The raw water line repairs are being done in tandem when possible, and is expected to be complete this evening, a few hours after the drinking water line.

We are concerned that heavy rains expected later today may hamper repairs, and all efforts are being made to finish works as soon as possible.

Herriot Road below Stander Street remains closed and the public is warned to not visit the area on foot and to stay well clear of the entire area as it may be unsafe. Traffic officials are on site and residents of the houses in the repair zone must proceed with extreme caution and only if alternative access is not possible. Spreeu Street is being monitored and may be closed if necessary.

The municipality will update residents as repairs progress.

ENDS
Issued George Municipality on 14 March 2021 at 9.50am.