Prepare for water disruptions: Cape Town's maintenance schedule from August 5 to 7

The City of Cape Town's Water and Sanitation department on Monday announced temporary water closures as the city conducts critical infrastructure work.

Residents in several parts of the city are urged to prepare for brief water supply disruptions as the municipality undertakes necessary maintenance on its water system.

The planned work, scheduled to take place between August 5 to 7.

The city said the work was necessary to ensure long-term service reliability and reduce the risk of unplanned outages. 

As part of scheduled maintenance, the department reported that temporary water supply interruptions were expected in the following areas:

• Weltevreden Valley: A temporary shut-off of the water main will affect the area from 9am to 1pm on Tuesday. This test will be conducted before the main shut-off scheduled from 9am to 6pm on Thursday, to enable the installation of two new connections on the water supply main in the area. The area will experience no water supply during these times. 
  
  
• Parts of Khayelitsha (Kuyasa, Harare, iLitha Park and Ndlovini): Water supply in these areas will be temporarily suspended from 8pm on Wednesday, overnight until 4am on Thursday. The shutdown will enable the maintenance team to safely assess the valve configuration of the bulk reticulation network supplying these areas. Residents in the lower-lying parts of Khayelitsha may experience minor pressure fluctuations during this time.
  
  
• Wemmershoek Water Treatment Plant: The Wemmershoek Water Treatment Plant (WTP) will have a water closure from 8am until 12pm on Wednesday, to allow for essential maintenance in this area. During this period, the plant will operate at a reduced flow of 130ML/day to allow for turbine testing, which is expected to continue until 6pm. Residents and consumers in Kraaifontein, Bloekombos, and Wallacedene are urged to limit their water usage throughout this time.
  
  
• The Drakenstein and Stellenbosch municipalities, along with private consumers supplied via the Wemmershoek pipeline, have also been notified and urged to make the necessary preparations.
  
  
• Welgelegen and Panorama: A temporary water closure in the main Welgelegen area will be in effect from 9am until 6pm on Thursday. Residents will experience no work during this time. 

Residents in the affected areas are urged to store water in clean, sealed containers ahead of the planned disruptions to ensure they have an adequate supply during the outage.

The City has also announced that "Zero-pressure tests (ZTP) and conditional assessments" will be conducted on the water supply network, resulting in disruptions in the following areas: 

• Tuesday, 10am to 4pm: The area surrounding Robert Sobukwe Drive, Kasselsvlei Road, Industry Road, Komos Street, and Bellville South surroundings.
• Wednesday, 10am to 4pm: Vredekloof, Welgelee, Arauna, Morgenster, St Kilda, Marlborough Parl. Brackenfell Industrial and Okavango Park.
• Thursday, 10am to 4pm: Belmont Park, Kleinbegin, and Summerville. 

In the affected areas, some residents may experience low water pressure, while others could face complete outages during the testing period.

The city has advised that, due to the nature of the zero-pressure and step-testing processes, it was not possible to pinpoint the exact locations or streets that would be impacted.

Cape Times