Residents
may be aware of the collapse of the canal conveying
water to the Scheepers Vlakte Dam. This
incident will have a dramatic effect on water supply to our eastern and northern
areas over the next two weeks, until repairs are effected. Although the eastern
and northern areas(Despatch, Uitenhage, Motherwell, Ikamvelihle, Coega Development Corporation,
Wells Estate, Bluewater Bay, Bloemendal, Bethelsdorp, Chatty and Colchester) will be most affected, it is imperative that ALL residents in ALL areas of the Metro immediately
cut their water usage to the barest minimum, stopping the non-essential use of
water, such as washing cars.
The
collapsed canal forms part of the water transfer system from the Gariep Dam. that is owned and operated by DWS. Various
farmers and municipalities - including the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality - receive water from this system.
As a
result of this incident, 30% (±90 Ml) of the water supply to the NMBM is at
risk, as water is drawn from this Dam, treated at the Nooitgedagt Water
Treatment Works, and then pumped to our City for consumption by residents.
Scheepers
Vlakte Dam is a balancing dam and does not store water for long periods as
normal catchment dams do. Water storage at this particular dam is for 7 days
only. As a result of this collapse of the canal and also the fact that no
filling has taken place, only approximately 4 days of water storage is left.
On 18 May
2017 the NMBM visited the site to ascertain the extent of the damage and to determine
the impact this collapsed canal will have on the water supply to the NMBM. The
damage is significant, and with only four days storage left in the Scheepers
Vlakte Dam, it is envisaged that as from Monday (22 May 2017) the water supply
to the eastern and northern parts of the NMBM will be affected.
The
estimated time for the repairs is at least one week, to be confirmed only once
repairs commenced and the true impact of the ground conditions is understood.
From the
above, it is evident that water supply to the NMBM will be in dramatically
affected for at least the next two weeks:
-
Firstly,
the eastern and northern parts of the NMBM, as listed above, will be without
water for at least four days.
-
Secondly,
it will take at least a week for the supply system to fill up again.
In order
to mitigate the problem, the interconnecting pipelines will be opened to
transfer water from west to east to bring some relief, but this will not be
enough to prevent interruptions. Water tankers will be placed in strategic
locations during this period.
Residents
are welcome to view the NMBM website and facebook to view photos/video clips of
the damage.
Let us work together to overcome this major
challenge and cut our water usage to the barest minimum WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT.