Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Restores Water Supply After Sundays River Canal Rehabilitation

Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) on Wednesday resumed water supply to several areas after completing repairs on the Sundays River Canal.

The municipality undertook a 10-day rehabilitation project for the canal, which began on June 24, last month. The project, managed by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), aimed to improve the reliability and sustainability of water supply to residents of Nelson Mandela Bay.

The repairs on the Lower Sundays River Canal have put additional strain on the municipality's water distribution system, identifying more areas at risk, SA News reported.

The Lower Sundays River Canal is part of the Lower Sundays Government Water Scheme (LSGWS), which is connected to the larger Orange-Fish-Sundays Inter Basin Transfer Scheme.

This scheme annually transfers 740 million kiloliters of water from the Gariep Dam to the Eastern Cape through the 80km Orange-Fish Tunnel. The repair of the canal was prompted by an incident in May 2017, when a section of the canal embankment slipped about 4.4km south of Enon.

To maintain a continuous water supply, the DWS installed a temporary embankment using a plastic membrane. However, a second embankment failure occurred 200m downstream from the initial one.

The repair work involved demolishing the existing canal at both the upstream and downstream connection points.

According to the municipality, the Nooitgedacht Water Treatment Works is currently producing around 120 megaliters of water per day. The Motherwell Reservoir is at 27% capacity while Grassridge and Oliphant Kop reservoirs have increased to 23% and 32% capacity, respectively.

"Most low-lying areas are receiving water, with the exception of high-lying areas around NU 8, 9, 10, and 11. Water trucks will remain in the Motherwell area," the municipality said.

It added, "Bloemendal and Bethelsdorp reservoirs are also increasing, with average levels of 9%. This indicates that the system is full and that the affected areas in the Northern regions will also begin to receive water, starting with low-lying areas."

The municipality has announced a planned water shutdown on July 4 to conduct maintenance on the water pipe network. The water supply will be shut off in affected areas, including South End and Forest Hill, from 8 am to 5 pm.