Overstrand Municipality's taps run dry

Source: Pexels

The water crisis has now reached Greater Hermanus and Kleinmond, impacting communities such as Zwelihle, Fisher Haven, Onrus, Vermont, Sandbaai, Voelkip, and the CBD.

Dean O'Neill, the manager of Overstrand Municipality, shared that water trucks from Stanford are currently supplying residents' Jo Jo tanks, but that this solution is not sustainable. He said the municipality's top priority is to repair the damaged pipes, and that all the necessary materials to do so were expected to be received today.

Customising collars for the pipes has proven time-consuming.

The annual Hermanus Whale Festival scheduled for this weekend has been cancelled due to the circumstances.

The timeous closure of the Western Cape schools for the spring holidays is facilitating repairs, providing contractors with the necessary time to address the damages.

The storms affected 249 schools in the province, with 150 reporting infrastructure damages ranging from minor leaks to major roof damage.

Education MEC David Manier reported that district tow teams are still assessing damages to schools severely impacted by the adverse weather conditions.

Sixteen schools with damages were closed yesterday for safety reasons.