In continuous efforts to ramp up interventions to affected communities faced with severe water shortages in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, the Department of Water and Sanitation in conjunction with the Metro is fast-tracking the repair and upgrades of water infrastructure in the Metro and surrounding areas.

This is as the Algoa Water Supply System, which provides water to five dams in the vicinity, continues to decline on a weekly basis, recording 12.0% this week. When compared to a similar period last year, the system stood at 33.8%.

“One way in which we are working to ensure that water infrastructure in the province operates optimally is through the upgrading of the Motherwell and Stanford Road pump stations,” said the Department’s spokesperson Sputnik Ratau.

The Motherwell Pump station has a transfer capacity of 90 Mℓ/day, whilst the Stanford Road pump station is limited to around 90 Mℓ/day due to 500mm and 700mm diameter pipelines.

“The upgrade is done to supplement the additional available water which is being drawn from the country’s largest dam, Gariep Dam, through the Nooitgedacht Water Scheme and transferred to the Metro’s western supply zones. The Motherwell and Stanford Road pump stations will be upgraded to a transfer capacity of 120 Mℓ/day and 135 Mℓ/day, respectively” said Ratau.

While admitting that much more work still has to be done, Ratau emphasised that the main objective of the upgrade is to pump as much water as possible from the Eastern to the Western side of Nelson Mandela Bay Metro.

Meanwhile, Kromrivier Dam which is on the Algoa Water Supply System has yet again declined from last week’s 9.3% to 8.6% this week. Impofu Dam is at 10.3%, representing a slight increase from 10.1% last week. Kouga Dam remains at 12.8%, this time last year, it recorded 4.0%. Also having declined is Groendal Dam on the Swartkops River at 21.5% from last week’s 21.3%. Loerie Dam has also declined from 43.6% to 42.2%.

The Department has reiterated its plea to members of the community in all sectors and activities, to report and repair leaks in their households as the Metro implements a 12-hour emergency shutdown for Schoenmakerskop Pump Station and the Churchill pipeline to carry out critical leak repairs.

The shutdown will affect close to 30 communities which include Walmer Township, Mangold Park, Newton Park, Greenacres and St Georges Hospitals, amongst others and is set to commence on Wednesday, 22 June 2022.