By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Rand Water has warned residents in Johannesburg and Pretoria to expect an 87-hour water outage this week as maintenance work continues on key pipelines in Gauteng.
The new pipeline has been built to augment a portion of the existing B6 pipeline and the tie-in of the new infrastructure will be undertaken from 09:30 on August 19 to 13:00 on August 23.
Rand Water has advised the local municipalities and direct customers to fill their reservoirs before the maintenance work commences, but is also urging consumers to reduce water consumption during the 87.5-hour project.
The utility points out that the Palmiet pumping station will still be operational and pumping at 90% of its capacity during the tie-in project.
Rand Water has issued a 21-days’ notice to the affected municipal customers, namely the City of Ekurhuleni, the City of Tshwane, Johannesburg Water and direct customers Airports Company South Africa and South African Airways to allow them to execute contingency plans.
In the City of Tshwane, Laudium, Mabopane. Soshanguve, Akasia reservoir, Lotus Garden, Bakenkop, Blair Athol reservoir, Sunderland Ridge, Erasmia, Saulsville reservoir, Wonderbloom reservoir, Louwlardia reservoir, Kosmodal, Rooihuiskraal reservoir and Klapperkop will be affected.
In the City of Ekurhuleni, Windsor, Sunny Ridge, Fishers Hill, Primrose Ext, Glen Marias, Klopper Park, Marlands, Solheim, Elandsfontein, Isando, Industries, Wadeville, Elsburg, Driefontein, Delville and Germiston South will be affected.
President Park, Halfway House, Klipfonteinview, Southills, Lynn Meyer, Diepsloot, Sandton, Alexandra and North Western areas, which fall under Johannesburg Water’s supply area, will also be affected.