2015-08-05Staff Report 2 Walvis Bay Water supply was cut off to most parts of Walvis Bay on Monday and thousands of residents were left without drinking water for several hours after the town suffered a major pipe burst early on Sunday. The underground pipe burst just a few metres from the Kuisebmond Fire Station and flooded the nearby area where second-hand cars that are being sold privately are parked. However, by yesterday most vehicles had been removed and only one truck that was still parked there was left steeped in water, while municipal officials could be seen hard at work to drain the flooded area. By late yesterday afternoon New Era was informed that limited supplies of water would still be available to most parts of the town while water repair works would most likely continue for the rest of the week. The pipe-burst also affected the operations of fish factories at the harbour town, as there was not enough water for employees to carry on with their daily operations and several factories resorted to using only a skeletal staff component on Monday and yesterday. The town of Walvis Bay is facing major challenges with the provision of unfettered water and sewerage services due to its ageing infrastructure. Recognising the scale of the problem, Council in its 2015/2016 budget allocated N$41 million for service delivery-related projects, such as the implementation, upgrading and replacement of water and sewage infrastructure. This includes increasing the capacity of the pump station at the Long Beach Reservoir, construction of a new water reservoir at Mile 7, upgrading the current sewage treatment plant, as well as the planning of a new sewage plant and fencing off the landfill site. 2015-08-05Staff Report 2
