The City of Cape Town has announced it will be conducting a planned water supply maintenance this week from November 20 to November 26.
It said the Water and Sanitation Directorate will be doing planned work in identified areas, which will result in water supply disruptions.
The City said critical work is being done to the water supply infrastructure to benefit residents. It further encouraged residents in affected areas to prepare accordingly.
Zero-pressure tests (ZPT) and conditional assessments will be conducted in Plumstead and Wynberg.
Conditional assessments are presently being done on the water supply network in these areas until Thursday, November 30. This will result in the possibility of lower-than-usual pressures experienced for up to four hours during the day in some parts as the assessments progress. The period has been increased from an hour and a half to allow for adequate time to do the assessments.
The ZPT will also be conducted in the Bellville South, Beroma, Glenhaven, Labiance, and Kasselsvlei areas from 9pm on Tuesday, November 21 until 4am on Wednesday, November 22.
They said pressure management installations and operations will be conducted.
Mayoral committee member for water and sanitation, councillor Zahid Badroodien, said ZTP and step-testing are part of the installation process for pressure management technology.
He said tests are done in advance to see if any unmapped inflows need to be considered before installing smart pressure-reducing valves.
In affected areas, some residents may experience low water pressure, and some may have no water coming from their taps for some time during the overnight testing period.
It is not possible to predict which areas or streets will experience disruptions.
“Conditional testing, on the other hand, ensures that the pressure-reducing valves (PRVs) in the water supply network are operating effectively and managing the pressures at the determined settings to preserve the lifespan of the pipeline and reduce the occurrence of water wastage resulting from pipe bursts. Pressure fluctuations may be experienced, but will be minimised as far as possible.
“This work forms part of the city’s Water Demand Management Strategy. Managing water pressure more effectively reduces the possibility of pipe bursts and water wastage,” Badroodien said.
Pipe valve installations, repairs, and replacements will result in disruption in Parklands.
The 400 mm diameter water supply main to this area will be shut off from 8.30pm on Tuesday, November 21, until 4.30am on Wednesday, November 22. This will enable the maintenance team to do urgent repairs to a leaking connection and replace a faulty valve. Alternate water supplies will be rerouted to the area, albeit at low pressure.
Colorado Park and a portion of Woodlands in Mitchells Plain will also have water shut off from 9am until 6pm on Thursday, November 23.
This will enable the maintenance team to do a tie-in for a new development on the 200- and 300-mm-diameter water supply mains in the area. Residents are requested to store enough water in advance for domestic consumption.
Paarden Eiland, Lower Woodstock from Beach Road to Porter Road, Transnet, Waterfront, and the Foreshore: a test water shut-off was done on the water supply to these areas from 10pm until 11pm on Wednesday, November 15.
The water supply to these areas will now be shut off from 10am on Saturday, November 25, until midnight on Sunday, November 26. This will enable maintenance teams to do urgent repairs to a severe leak on the 915-mm-diameter bulk water pipeline in Paarden Eiland. An alternate water supply will be rerouted to minimise the extent of the impact.
Constantia will have two shut-offs.
Constantia Shut-off 1:
The water supply to Alphen Drive, Hohenhort Avenue, Willowbrooke Lane, Brommaert Avenue, Midhurst Way, and the Valley Walk will be shut off intermittently from 9am until 5am on Tuesday, November 21. This will enable the maintenance team to repair and replace valves and fire hydrants on the water supply to the area.
Adjacent roads may also be affected. Residents are kindly requested to store enough water in advance for domestic consumption.
Constantia Shut-off 2:
The water supply to Sohland Avenue, Constantia Main Road, Pagasvlei Road, Jacaranda Way, and Bellair Drive will be shut off intermittently from 9am until 5pm on Thursday, November 23. This will enable the maintenance team to repair and replace valves and fire hydrants on the water supply to the area. Adjacent roads may also be affected.
Residents are kindly requested to store enough water in advance for domestic consumption.