Despite assurances from Nelson Mandela Bay Executive Mayor Babalwa Lobishe that running water would be restored to Tiryville and surrounding areas by the end of last week, some Kariega residents allege that they are still struggling with ongoing outages and low water pressure.
The continued disruptions have fuelled frustration among residents who have endured weeks of water shortages following the devastating floods that damaged critical infrastructure across the metro. While the municipality recently reported that the water system had recovered to more than 80% capacity and outlined several emergency interventions to improve supply, complaints from affected communities suggest that the crisis is far from over.
In a statement issued on May 27, the municipality said it was implementing “all means necessary” to restore water to Tiryville and neighbouring areas, including increasing supply from the Nooitgedacht Water Scheme, maximising production at the Kabah Water Treatment Plant and deploying additional water tankers. At the time, Lobishe expressed hope that water would be restored to the affected areas by the weekend.
However, in its later water supply update issued on June 1, the municipality acknowledged that the system remains under strain, with some communities continuing to experience low pressure, while warning that forecast heavy rainfall could place further pressure on recovery efforts.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya said that while most areas in Kariega are currently receiving normal water supply, “we can confirm that some high-lying areas, including Scheepershoogte, McNaughton and Fairbridge Heights, continue to experience intermittent water supply.”
He claimed that this is because the treatment system at the Kabah Water Treatment Plant is not yet operating at its full pumping capacity. “A significant portion of the plant’s operational time and pumping capacity is currently dedicated to the essential backwashing and desludging processes, which are necessary to maintain water quality standards and ensure the efficient functioning of the treatment system,” he said.
Soyaya added that as a result, “the volume of treated water being pumped into the distribution network remains below optimal levels, affecting supply to higher-lying and outlying areas.”
He claimed that this is largely owing to the continued high turbidity levels in the raw water entering the treatment plant, which requires more intensive treatment processes before it can be supplied to consumers.
“We are, however, encouraged by the gradual improvement in raw water quality at the Nooitgedacht Water Treatment Plant,” he said. “This improvement will enable us to redirect additional treated water from Nooitgedacht to supplement supply in the Kariega system, particularly to the higher-lying areas that are currently experiencing intermittent supply.”
He continued, “the municipality continues to monitor the situation closely and is implementing all available interventions to restore normal and consistent water supply to the affected communities as soon as possible.”
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