Residents and businesses in Melkbosstrand and surrounding areas will be without water for up to 14 hours tomorrow, Thursday 16 July, as the City of Cape Town undertakes essential repairs to a major water supply pipeline.

The City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate will temporarily shut off the water supply from 09:00 to 23:00 to repair a leak on a 600mm diameter water supply pipeline along the R27 West Coast Road in Melkbosstrand.

According to the City, the planned interruption is necessary to complete the repairs safely and restore the integrity of the water network.

Areas affected

The planned water outage will affect Melkbosstrand, Melkbosch Village, Van Riebeeckstrand, Duynefontein and the Eskom Koeberg Power Station.

During the shutdown, no water will be available in the affected areas.

To help minimise the impact, the City said water tankers will be deployed and will move throughout the affected communities to provide water until the repair work has been completed.

Residents urged to prepare

The City has advised residents to store sufficient water in clean, sealed containers before the interruption begins.

It also urged residents to keep taps closed during the shutdown to prevent water loss or possible damage when the supply is restored.

Once water returns, residents are encouraged to open an outside tap for about 30 seconds to release trapped air from the system. The water collected during this process can be reused for secondary purposes such as flushing toilets.

The City said the work is aimed at completing the repairs as quickly and safely as possible.

“The City apologises for any inconvenience caused and thanks residents and businesses for their patience while teams work to complete the repairs as quickly and safely as possible.”

ALSO READ: Planned water maintenance to disrupt supply across Cape Town