GQEBERHA – Water and electricity outages are continuing across parts of Nelson Mandela Bay days after a Level 6 weather warning brought heavy rains, flooding and widespread infrastructure disruptions.

Large parts of the metro continued to experience low water pressure, water outages and electricity disruptions on Sunday following severe storms and flooding that battered Nelson Mandela Bay on Wednesday and Thursday.

While floodwaters have since subsided in many areas, residents are still dealing with the aftermath as municipal teams work to stabilise services.

In a statement shared on social media, DA mayoral candidate Retief Odendaal said residents were becoming increasingly frustrated over the lack of clarity surrounding the ongoing disruptions.

“There is growing frustration with water outages across the Bay.”

Odendaal said residents had initially been informed that electrical interruptions at the Loerie and Churchill Water Treatment Plants had affected supply, but claimed further issues had also impacted the Nooitgedacht system.

“Whilst we were told that there were electrical interruptions at the Loerie Water Treatment Plant (Kouga) and the Churchill Water Treatment Plant (Kromme) on Wednesday and Thursday, we subsequently learned that there were also problems on the Nooitgedacht line (Gariep), which effectively meant that all three of our main sources of water were compromised,” he said.

Odendaal said he expected to see signs of improvement later on Sunday if the system was operating at maximum output.

“If the system is at maximum output, we should be seeing a definite improvement towards this afternoon and during tonight,” he said.

According to municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya, flooding had damaged electrical infrastructure, limited access to operational sites and caused high turbidity levels in dams and rivers.

“High turbidity levels mean that treatment plants must slow down the purification process to ensure water remains safe for consumption,” Soyaya said.

The municipality said the disruptions created a chain reaction across the network, causing reservoirs to drop, water pressure to decrease and outages to affect high-lying areas first.

In its latest system update issued on Sunday, the metro confirmed that reservoir levels remained critically low in several areas.

Chelsea Reservoir was sitting at 8%, Emerald Hill at 4%, Heatherbank at 13% and Greenbushes at 23%.

Several suburbs across the metro continued to experience water interruptions, including Walmer, Newton Park, Greenacres, Lorraine, Fairview, Sherwood, Kabega, Baywest, Walmer Heights and parts of KwaNobuhle.

Electricity outages linked to flood damage and waterlogged infrastructure were also reported in several areas across Nelson Mandela Bay in the aftermath of the storm, further complicating water recovery efforts as pump stations and treatment facilities rely heavily on a stable power supply.

Nelson Mandela Bay executive mayor Babalwa Lobishe said municipal teams continued to work across flood-affected communities as recovery and clean-up operations remained underway following the severe weather.

During oversight visits on Sunday to several affected areas, including Motherwell, Lobishe monitored ongoing drainage and clean-up operations aimed at improving access and mobility for residents.

“I am encouraged by the progress being made on the ground as our Disaster Management, Roads and Stormwater, Water and Sanitation, Human Settlements and other municipal teams continue working tirelessly to restore normality in affected communities,” Lobishe said.

She said the metro’s priority remained restoring essential services and supporting communities affected by the flooding.

“The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality remains fully committed to working around the clock to assist all affected communities across the Metro,” she said.

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