Walvis Bay — The Municipality of Walvis Bay has informed residents of Kuisebmond that the water supply to the suburb will be interrupted during the next few days.

This is to allow contractors working on the sewage network to excavate and bypass sewage systems.

The water interruption was effected yesterday morning. Hence Kuisebmond would be without water between 22h00 and 05h30 over the next few days.

Water will be re-opened when plugs are secure and bypassing operational. It is anticipated that everything will be complete before end of the week.

The repairs are meant to fix the broken main sewer pipe, which runs underneath buildings and Coris Street in Kuisebmond.

A municipal tender has been awarded to TT Innovations from Cape Town, South Africa, to install a replacement sewer pipe by means of horizontal directional drilling and pipe bursting. It is a highly specialised exercise that involves new technology and requires excavations at existing manholes.

Total pipe excavations or relaying, which would have stretched over a period of two months or longer would thus be avoided.

The exercise has resulted in the temporary closure of Coris Street in the vicinity of the long-distance taxis park.

Businesses along this street, as well as those between the street and the NATAU office, might also be affected because of limited vehicle and pedestrian access, according to Walvis Bay Municipality Public Relations Officer, Nolito Marques.

"In order to be able to manage sewage flows, volumes have to be controlled, especially in the initial stage when sewer lines have to be plugged inside manholes.

This, unfortunately, requires interruptions of water supply. More details of total water cuts will be communicated once the exact times have been determined," Marques said.