Nelson Mandela Bay Mops Up After Heritage Day Rains

Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality commenced mopping-up operations Tuesday following heavy rainfall over the Heritage Day weekend. The inclement weather caused significant disruption, leaving many roads waterlogged and causing power outages that required an additional workforce for restoring electricity.

Mayor Gary van Niekerk noted a section of Seaview Road remained inundated, with water depths of roughly 20 cm, effectively causing closures. Newton Park's Third Avenue dip area was similarly affected due to the Baakens River's high flow.

Despite the rain-induced challenges, Mayor Van Niekerk singled out a silver lining - the municipality's combined dam levels observed a modest increase from 48.5% to 49.6%. However, he urged residents to maintain conservative water use due to ongoing drought restrictions.

The rain wreaked havoc on the power supply, particularly affecting the Nooitgedacht Water Treatment Works and the Motherwell Pump Station, rendering the water supply system unstable. While supply restoration was swift for the most part, the mayor expressed concern for Kariega's supply. Groendal Dam's main pipe, tasked with water conveyance to the Kabah Water Treatment Works, failed on Sunday. Difficulties accessing the pipe due to flooding further complicated restoration attempts.