Cape Town schedules nine-hour water outage

As part of efforts to maintain and improve its water infrastructure, the City of Cape Town has announced scheduled shutdowns and maintenance activities that will affect parts of the metro this week.

Residents in several areas have been advised to prepare for temporary water supply interruptions and to reduce consumption where possible.

Water outage planned for Thursday, 10 April

On Thursday, 10 April, the City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate will carry out planned maintenance from 09:30 to 19:00, which will result in water disruptions in specific areas. These include Vukuzenzela, Sweet Homes, Weltevreden Valley, parts of Philippi, Ottery, and Lansdowne.

To prepare for the main shutdown, the City also conducted a test shut-off on Tuesday, 8 April, from 09:30 to 14:30. This was done to help technicians assess which parts of the water network will be most affected during the final maintenance operation.

According to the municipality, the maintenance work involves the connection of a 300mm diameter pipeline that was rerouted to accommodate ongoing construction along Oliver Tambo Drive. This critical connection will impact residents in a wide area bounded by Weltevreden Road, Duinefontein Road, Varkensvlei Road, and parts of Govan Mbeki Road stretching to Old Lansdowne Road.

The City noted that “some areas will experience low water pressure and others no water” during the maintenance window.

Blackheath Water Treatment Plant undergoes annual maintenance

In a separate update, the municipality also confirmed the temporary shutdown of the Blackheath Water Treatment Plant (WTP), scheduled from Monday, 7 April to Friday, 11 April. The shutdown is part of the plant’s annual servicing programme aimed at ensuring the long-term efficiency of the treatment facility.

This process includes the servicing of key components involved in water purification, which will reduce the city’s overall drinking water production during the week.

“Our reservoirs will be filled in advance, however, consumers across the city are encouraged to reduce their water consumption while the Blackheath WTP is on shutdown. Water supply will be rerouted to the Blackheath supply areas during this period,” the municipality said in a statement.

Residents urged to use water sparingly

While both the pipeline connection and the treatment plant maintenance are necessary to ensure infrastructure reliability, the City is appealing to all residents—whether directly affected or not—to conserve water during this time.

With proper planning, the City hopes to minimise the impact of these essential upgrades while continuing to meet the metro’s daily water needs.