NELSON MANDELA BAY – The recovery of Nelson Mandela Bay’s water supply system has suffered a major setback after vandalism to a key water main and a technical fault at the Churchill Water Treatment Works, leaving several areas at risk of intermittent water supply, low pressure or no water.

According to the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, the metro’s integrated water distribution system continues to operate under extremely constrained conditions, with exceptionally high water demand placing the network under severe pressure.

“The integrated water distribution system remains under severe pressure due to exceptionally high water demand and its vulnerability to operational failures,” the municipality said.

The municipality said recovery efforts were impacted by two major operational challenges experienced on the morning of 4 July.

The first was an act of vandalism to the 750mm water main at the FM Tower.

According to the municipality, municipal teams are carrying out emergency repairs after having to break through concrete to gain access to the damaged cast iron manhole ring.

Once the damaged section has been accessed, the damaged manhole cover will be replaced with a heavier reinforced concrete slab to reduce the risk of future vandalism.

“The repair work will significantly delay the recovery of the water distribution system,” the municipality said.

The municipality further said the second challenge is a technical fault at the Churchill Water Treatment Works, which has compromised water production at the plant.

Technical teams are attending to the fault and are working to optimise production as quickly as possible.

The municipality said that because Nelson Mandela Bay’s water supply network operates as an integrated system, the operational challenges will affect several supply zones and may result in intermittent water supply, low pressure or no water in some areas.

The Emerald Hill, Heatherbank, Lovemore Heights and Upper Tank reservoirs remain depleted, with consumers supplied by these reservoirs experiencing low pressure and water interruptions.

The municipality said the Chelsea Reservoir remains critically low at 8%, resulting in ongoing water supply disruptions.

Low reservoir levels continue to affect the Airport and Driftsands supply zones.

The Airport Reservoir is at 0%, while Driftsands stands at 11%, with consumers in these areas likely to experience low pressure or no water.

The Malabar and Gelvandale supply zones continue to experience intermittent water disruptions due to the slow recovery of the integrated water system.

The municipality said all other supply zones across the metro remain stable and consumers should have water.

Strategic reservoir levels at the time of the update were Chelsea (8%), Emerald Hill (2%), Greenbushes (25%), Gelvandale (2%), Malabar (10%), Struandale (36%), Airport (0%), Driftsands (11%), Rosedale (0%), Chatty (66%), Motherwell (64%), Bloemendal (49%), Heatherbank (16%), Lovemore Heights (0%), Upper Tank (0%), Fairview (74%), Fort Nottingham (77%), Glendinning (39%), Van Riebeeck Hoogte (43%), Fairbridge Heights (66%), KwaNobuhle 4 (52%), KwaNobuhle 3 (70%), KwaNobuhle 2 (11%), KwaNobuhle 1 (72%) and Kabah Rectangular (36%).

Areas identified as being at risk of intermittent water supply, low pressure or no water include parts of Rosedale, Kabah and Langa, as well as Mountain View, MacNaughton, Fairbridge Heights, Motherwell, iKamvelihle, Wells Estate, Bluewater Bay, St George’s, Walmer Township, Walmer (7th to 14th Avenue), Glen Hurd, Newton Park, Schauderville, Mangold Park, Greenacres, Perridgevale, Adcockvale, Parsons Hill, Glendinningvale, Mill Park, Linkside, Mount Croix, Richmond Hill, high-lying areas of Central, Rowallan Park, Greenbushes, Bridgemeade, Hunters Retreat, Kabega Park, Parsons Ridge, Parsonsvlei, Francis Evatt Park, Morningside, Baywest, Sherwood, Lorraine, Malabar, Barcelona, Gelvandale, Bloemendal Extensions, Chatty, Booysens Park, 7 Delaan, Walmer Heights, Greenshields Park, Fairview, Walmer Downs and KwaNobuhle.

The municipality said operational teams continue implementing measures to stabilise the metro’s water supply system.

These include deploying water tankers to priority areas experiencing prolonged outages, optimising water treatment and pumping operations, continuously monitoring reservoir levels, working with Eskom to restore power to critical water infrastructure, securing water treatment chemicals, repairing the vandalised FM Tower water main and promoting responsible water use.

The municipality appealed to residents and businesses to continue conserving water while the system remains under severe pressure.

“Every litre saved contributes to maintaining reservoir levels and improving water availability across the metro,” the municipality said.

Residents were also encouraged to report water leaks immediately to help reduce unnecessary water losses.

Acknowledging the impact on communities, the municipality said, “Every available resource is being utilised to restore stability to the metro’s water supply system as quickly as possible.”

Further updates will be communicated as more information becomes available.

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