NELSON MANDELA BAY – Residents across Nelson Mandela Bay face continued water disruptions as infrastructure failures affect the metro’s water system for over a week.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality advised residents on Monday that “the water supply from Nooitgedagt Water Treatment Works has stabilised, with Chelsea Reservoir recovering to 17%.”
“Electricity dips earlier this week damaged a medium-voltage fuse on one of the pumps, limiting the flow of treated water to western areas of the metro,” the statement read.
“The Nooitgedagt plant is currently producing 180–190 Ml/day and the replacement fuse is expected on Wednesday, after which full pumping capacity should be restored.”
Additional power outages at Elandsjagt Water Treatment Works on Friday and Saturday night affected supply to the southwestern areas of the metro.
Ward 40 councillor Jason Grobbelaar providing an update on the Greenbushes zone said that “for the next ±5 days, intermittent water supply is expected whilst the municipality works to distribute available water across the different affected areas,” he said in a social media post.
“Residents are urgently requested to use water extremely sparingly during this time.”
Multiple zones face water disruptions, including Emerald Hill (Walmer, Newton Park, Greenacres, Richmond Hill), Airport zone (Forest Hill, Humewood), Driftsands (Nelson Mandela University, Summerstrand) and areas from Kariega to Sardinia Bay.
Meanwhile, Democratic Alliance (DA) mayoral candidate Retief Odendaal described the situation as a “man-made disaster.”
“Currently, NMB is facing crippling water challenges and make no mistake; this crisis is man-made. Years of neglect, poor maintenance and failing infrastructure have left residents and businesses without reliable access to one of the most basic services,” Odendaal stated in a social media post.
The municipality apologised “for the inconvenience,” thanking residents for their patience while “technical teams are actively managing available water supply to minimise disruptions.”
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