PRECAUTIONARY NOTICE: Prolonged load-shedding could affect water and sanitation services
9 December 2022
With Eskom implementing higher stages of load-shedding, the City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate advises residents of the potential impact that may arise, relating to services.What residents can do to help water and sanitation services during prolonged load-shedding:
- Use water wisely and use less water so that we can conserve storage in our reservoirs.
- Only flush toilets and do washing when really necessary. This will help reduce pressure on the sewer network and wastewater treatment works.
- Don't flush anything other than human waste and toilet paper. See www.capetown.gov.za/blocked-sewers.
- Use the City’s solid waste services provided to get rid of your waste, not drains. Waste that gets into the sewer pipes will block them and put pressure on and damage pump stations and wastewater treatment works (WWTWs).
- Report sewer blockages and overflows so they can be cleared in a reasonable timeframe, given the current power situation.
WATER SERVICES
Most of the City’s water supply uses gravity to help carry water from higher-lying dams to consumers after treatment.
The water treatment plants across the City are equipped with standby generators to ensure that clean drinking water can continue to be provided in the event of load-shedding.
Some higher-lying areas may experience low pressure or supply disruptions in the event of a power outage affecting the booster water pump stations, which are required in some areas to convey water to the reservoirs supplying the higher lying areas across the City.
Should residents in these areas – particularly in the northern and southern parts of the city – experience low pressure, this could likely be due to the impact of load-shedding.
However, if the problem persists for more than four hours, residents are advised to contact the City on the following channels: WhatsApp 060 018 1505, email water@capetown.gov.za or call 0860 103 089.
Alternatively, follow the City’s Twitter account @CityofCTAlerts for operational updates.
SANITATION SERVICES
Permanent generators have been fitted at all wastewater treatment plants, 85 larger priority water and sewer pump stations were fitted with permanent generators as a measure to increase the resilience of water and sanitation supply systems.
Our maintenance staff are on standby and will use mobile generators to power smaller pumps. All pump stations are fitted with telemetry to help us monitor the sump levels of the facilities.
We have limited availability of mobile generators, and some pump-stations might overflow if load-shedding is implemented for longer than two hours at a time.
However, with severe load-shedding i.e. large areas without power, it is not logistically possible to prevent overflows entirely, in which case the operational teams do their utmost to contain and clean up such flows.
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office