The Knysna Municipality has announced plans to upgrade the existing water network in the Central Business District (CBD).

The upgrades, which are expected to start soon, will cost approximately R5 million and will be rolled out in phases.

According to the municipality the first phase of the project will start at the end of February and will involve several elements including the replacement of old pipes.

“The old pipes will be replaced with UPVC pipes which are more tolerant to the soil condition. This work will address pressure management issues and also reduce the number of pipe breaks in the CBD,” explains Knysna Executive Mayor, Mark Willemse.

He adds that four streets in the CBD will be affected during the first phase. “Work during the first phase will be done in Green, Market, Cove and Tide streets. Sections of these streets will be closed. We ask residents to be patient while our Technical Services carries out this important infrastructure upgrade work.”

“The Council is delivering on its promises made last year to long term solutions to water challenges. We wish to assure residents that we are committed to addressing water infrastructure challenges and infrastructure upgrades are at the top of our priority,” Willemse concludes.